A Louisiana parole board has denied the release of Tiffany Woods, an incarcerated mother who has spent 18 years in prison following the death of her infant son during the chaos surrounding Hurricane Katrina.
Woods, now 43, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2008 after her five-month-old son, Emmanuel, died in 2005. According to case details, the baby was born prematurely with a medical condition that made it difficult for him to process certain fats and required specialized feeding and close care.
Desperation during disaster
At the time of the tragedy, Woods and her family had been displaced as Katrina approached. They moved between a sports arena, a motel, and eventually a rented house amid shortages of food and resources.
When the infant began vomiting his formula and Woods ran out of assistance vouchers for baby supplies, she fed him cow’s milk. Medical experts generally advise against giving cow’s milk to infants under one year old, but Woods said she made the decision in desperation during the emergency conditions.
The child died in November 2005. Woods and the child’s father were later sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Partial commutation and parole decision
In 2023, Woods’ sentence was partially commuted, making her eligible for parole after serving 18 years. However, on February 10, a three-member parole panel denied her request following a single dissenting vote.
Although board members reportedly acknowledged her rehabilitation and assessed her as a low risk for reoffending, a victims’ services representative argued that alternative steps could have been taken to seek emergency care for the infant.
Woods will now have to wait five more years before she can apply again for parole.
The case has had lasting effects on Woods’ family. Her four other children entered foster care after her incarceration and have grown up without her, according to reports
