INDEPENDENCE, Va. – The widow of Jeremy Hall, the corrections officer who died after being attacked by an inmate in November, has made a statement following the announcement of a civil suit against the Department of Corrections leadership in district court.
Dawn Marie Hall released the full statement on Facebook on Wednesday. You can read the statement here:
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The widow of Correctional Officer Jeremy Hall is speaking publicly for the first time to address serious concerns surrounding the notification process, communication failures, and lack of support from the Department of Corrections (DOC) and River North Correctional Center (RNCC) following her husband’s death on November 17, 2025.
On the morning of November 17, 2025, at approximately 8:35 a.m., Mrs. Hall received a missed call from an unknown cell phone number. No voicemail was left. Approximately ten minutes later, she received a phone call from her father-in-law, who informed her that there had been an incident at the prison and that she needed to go to the hospital immediately.
Mrs. Hall left her home at once and arrived at the hospital in Galax at approximately 9:05 a.m., where she was met by a sergeant and escorted to a room with hospital leadership and staff. She was informed that lifesaving measures were still being performed. At approximately 9:26 a.m., an emergency room physician informed her that her husband, Jeremy, had died.
During this critical period, no official from the Department of Corrections contacted Mrs. Hall to inform her of her husband’s injuries, their severity, or the circumstances of the incident.
The warden did not introduce himself upon her arrival at the hospital. She was briefly introduced to Warden Kevin McCoy only after the family had been notified of Jeremy’s death, at which time phone numbers were exchanged.
Mrs. Hall later learned that the incident occurred at approximately 7:53 a.m. — more than an hour before she arrived at the hospital — and that other correctional facilities were notified at least 20 minutes before any attempt was made to contact her. She also learned that individuals no longer employed at the facility became aware of Jeremy’s injuries before she was notified as his sole listed emergency contact.
The phone call her father-in-law received — in an unofficial capacity — included information that Jeremy was not breathing and did not have a pulse. He withheld that information from Mrs. Hall so that she could safely drive herself to the hospital.
In the days following Jeremy’s death, Mrs. Hall requested that he be posthumously promoted to Senior Correctional Officer alongside the rest of his graduating academy class, noting that the delay in his promotion was due to an administrative job reassignment beyond his control.
On the evening of November 20, 2025 — the same day Jeremy was brought home from Roanoke — a Grayson County Sheriff’s deputy arrived at Mrs. Hall’s home to inform her that a threat had been made against her and that she needed to leave for her safety. At no point did the DOC contact her regarding this threat. When she reached out to Warden McCoy that evening, she was told the threat was not viable and that authorities were “overreacting.” The following morning, after the threat was cleared and she returned home, Mr. McCoy again dismissed the actions of investigators, stating it was “not a big deal.”
This was the last time Warden McCoy initiated contact with Mrs. Hall.
In the weeks that followed, Mrs. Hall reached out to request permission to use Jeremy’s work shirts for a memorial quilt. While permission was granted, no further outreach was made to check on her wellbeing or offer support. In the days leading up to Jeremy’s memorial service, no official from River North Correctional Center contacted her until she expressed her concerns to Mr. Dotson, who then began checking in.
“As a grieving widow who is not from this area and has no local support system, I was left alone by the Department of Corrections and officials at River North Correctional Center during the most traumatic period of my life,” Mrs. Hall said.
Mrs. Hall also wishes to express her sincere gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of support she has received from the community, as well as from the officers at River North Correctional Center, their families, and personnel from other correctional facilities.
“The compassion, kindness, and solidarity shown by fellow officers, their families, and members of the community have meant more to me than words can express during this incredibly painful time,” she said.
As of today, communication from DOC leadership has been limited to notifications regarding photographs and discussions of memorial recognitions such as roads or bridges being named in Jeremy’s honor. While the Hall family is thankful for these gestures, Mrs. Hall emphasizes that recognition cannot replace basic communication, compassion, and accountability.
“This is not about monuments,” she said. “This is about how families are treated in the aftermath of tragedy — and ensuring that no other spouse learns about their loved one’s death the way I did.”
Dawn Marie Hall