Timothy Lee Whistler
His attorney said Timothy Lee Whistler kept working so that his wife, Deborah, who was undergoing cancer treatment, could speak with him, and described him as a human being who died of a virus he caught in the jail. Timothy was held at the Volusia County Branch Jail from March 2021 and died there on April 15, 2021, after contracting COVID-19. He was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, where a hospital provider said he was in dire condition, and the autopsy listed complications of COVID-19 viral pneumonia, with congestive heart failure, lung disease and tobacco use as contributing factors. His attorney says he was on oxygen before arriving at the hospital and was moved into the general population, which the jail denies; the jail says he was housed in its medical clinic or medical dorm throughout.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner's autopsy lists complications of COVID-19 viral pneumonia; his defense attorney says he was on oxygen and moved into the general population, which the jail denies, saying he was held in its medical clinic or dorm throughout.
Reported by: Medical Examiner (autopsy report) (medical examiner or coroner); his defense attorney.