Melissa Ann Horn
Melissa Ann Horn, 49, was a native of rural Tazewell County, Virginia. Her daughter, Brittany Brown, said Horn loved her family and just wanted to be happy. Horn died on April 14, 2020, of COVID-19, which the Virginia state medical examiner listed as the cause, after contracting the coronavirus while held at a state prison for women. The Virginia Department of Corrections did not name her in its announcement, citing family privacy and medical confidentiality, and Brown said she was upset by the bare-bones statement. Her family disputed the department's emphasis on her health conditions.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed). The state medical examiner attributed the death to COVID-19, and her family disputes the Department of Corrections' emphasis on her health conditions.
Reported by: Virginia state medical examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Virginia Department of Corrections (the agency that held her); her family.