Inmate Death in Fort Madison Prison

By Allison Jacobs · Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026 at 6:35 am CDT

An inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary died at 9:31 p.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026.

Jess Ellsworth Whitsel, age 77, was serving for crimes committed in Linn County.

Whitsel’s sentence began on April 23, 1982.

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