Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Alan Willison

32 years old · died January 26, 2023 · Clayton County Jail, Clayton County, Georgia

Alan Willison, 32, was held at the Clayton County Jail in Georgia, where he died on January 26, 2023. His mother, Tracie Emerson, has said he suffered and that she never got to say goodbye; in his letters to her he wrote about his fears and his hope to leave the jail alive. Sources say he repeatedly asked jail staff for emergency medical care over almost two months as a testicular tumor grew, that he was not sent to a hospital, and that his diagnosis came only a week before he died. The county medical examiner's office concluded that medical neglect contributed to his death, while the sheriff's office initially gave a different account, and CorrectHealth told the court it lacked enough information to admit or deny many of the allegations in his mother's lawsuit.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (neglect alleged). The county medical examiner ruled the cause testicular cancer complicated by medical neglect, and his mother's lawsuit says jail staff never sent him to a hospital despite repeated requests for help, while CorrectHealth says it lacked information to admit or deny many allegations.

Reported by: Clayton County Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); his mother's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Sen. Jon Ossoff's office (outside investigators).

Lawsuit: His mother sued the Clayton County jail's medical provider, CorrectHealth, over his death, and no settlement or verdict amount is reported in these accounts.

News reports (6)

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