Melissa Ruth Maldonado
Agency patch
Corrections Officer V

Melissa Ruth Maldonado

COVID-19 → Illness
End of Watch October 3, 2021
Age 51
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Gender Female

Incident

Corrections Officer V Melissa Maldonado died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 while assigned to the Garza West Unit at 4250 TX- 202 in Beeville.

Officer Maldonado had served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division for over 12 years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Corrections Officer V Melissa Ruth Maldonado died on October 3, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. She was 51.

She is one of 885 officers honored here, and one of 55 at Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division.

Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.

Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.

Survivors

She is survived by her father, sister, brother, and two nephews.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Corrections Officer V Maldonado gave the Texas Department of Criminal Justice 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corrections Officer V Maldonado.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Corrections
Location Huntsville, Walker County, TX
Platform Identity tdcjcidcorr.walker.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 3, 2021
Tour of Duty 12 yrs
Age 51
Gender Female

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

The Sacrifice · Illness

Melissa is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 2021, 564 officers in the United States were lost to illness, more than in any other year.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Melissa was 51. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Melissa had served 12 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.

Age at death
Where she stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

October holds 14.9% of these deaths in the United States, more than any other month. Sundays: 14.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

Her people

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division has at least 120 officers remembered here, Melissa among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Corrections Officer V Melissa Ruth Maldonado

Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division · End of Watch October 3, 2021

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 38-W

Also Remembered

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial — requiem.nw →

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