Elijah Lester Isbill
Elijah Lester Isbill was a retired preacher who spent almost 40 years in the ministry, more than 30 of them at Three Point Baptist Church, and his daughter, Windy Duncan, described him as a kind, loving man who would help anybody with anything. He died in February 2025 after being held at the Monroe County Jail in Madisonville, Tennessee, where, according to his family and a federal lawsuit, staff placed him in a restraint chair for more than nine hours. His daughter says he needed medical care sooner and that it was not given, and the lawsuit alleges he was refused the care he needed. The sheriff's office said he was found unresponsive and taken to Blount Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, and that an original autopsy listed heart disease as the cause. A revised autopsy in August 2025 ruled the death a homicide, citing heart disease complicated by dehydration and restraint, and the sheriff's office disputes that finding.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The amended autopsy by the Knox County Regional Forensic Center ruled the death a homicide, citing dehydration and prolonged restraint in a restraint chair; the sheriff's office disputes that finding, his daughter says staff refused the medical care he needed, and the lawsuit alleges staff denied him food, water and bathroom breaks.
Reported by: Knox County Regional Forensic Center (medical examiner or coroner); Monroe County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); Windy Duncan and his estate's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Monroe County grand jury (court).
Lawsuit: His daughter, Windy Duncan, sued in his name, and his estate later filed a federal lawsuit against the city, Madisonville officers and Turnkey Health Clinics that settled for an undisclosed amount.
Sources (18)
- Monroe County Sheriff denies alleged abuse of 74-year-old preacher while in custody
- ‘He was a kind, loving man’ | Madisonville man dies while in Monroe County custody
- Monroe County sheriff breaks down arrest of 74-year-old man who died while in custody
- Video reveals new details in Monroe County man's custody death as investigation continues
- Five officers suspended after updated autopsy says holding conditions contributed to Monroe County in-custody death
- Amended autopsy rules 74-year-old preacher's death in Monroe County custody a homicide
- Autopsy changed to blame restraint as complication in man’s death
- Monroe County sheriff wants to emphasize transparency as TBI investigates in-custody death
- 5 Monroe Co. deputies, 2 nurses indicted after preacher's in-custody death ruled homicide
- ‘Concerned that the process has been influenced’ | Monroe Co. sheriff says his staff is not guilty of homicide in Elijah Isbill’s in-custody death
- Seven Individuals Indicted, Charged Following In-Custody Death
- Seven indicted following Isbill death in custody
- UPDATE: Jail staff, nurses indicted in death of retired preacher restrained for hours in chair
- 7 people charged in connection to Monroe County in-custody death appear in court
- Daughter of Lester Isbill, man who died in custody, sues Madisonville officers, jail nurses
- Federal lawsuit filed over death of retired Monroe County preacher after 2025 arrest
- Lester Isbill estate settles federal lawsuit over Monroe County jail death
- DA to withdraw charges, re-present case to grand jury in Monroe County Jail death