An inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary has died.
According to officials, 77-year-old Jess Ellsworth Whitsel was pronounced dead at 9:31 p.m. on April 17, 2026. Whitsel had been incarcerated for offenses tied to Linn County and had been serving his sentence for more than four decades.
Records indicate his incarceration began on April 23, 1982. No additional details regarding the cause of death have been released at this time.
