Four days after surrendering to a federal prison camp in Texas, Elizabeth Holmes was seen in photos, reuniting with her husband and parents in the prison yard for what appeared to be an emotional, seven-hour visit.
The disgraced Theranos founder, 39, was seen crying through much of the visit Saturday, according to the Daily Mail, which obtained multiple photos of the reunion.
At one point, Holmes and her husband, Billy Evans, also were seen trying to enjoy the briefest of physical contact, with Holmes holding onto his finger as they walked in an outdoor area of the Bryan, Texas, prison that includes grass, trees and picnic tables. But with this finger holding, the Daily Mail said it appeared that Holmes and Evans had violated prison protocol which states that only “a brief kiss, embrace or handshake is allowed upon arrival and departure.”
Elizabeth Holmes BREAKS prison protocol by holding hands with husband Billy Evans in emotional seven-hour visit https://t.co/nWpR0w6YGN pic.twitter.com/tKnR3rcVuq
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 6, 2023
The visit Saturday marked the family’s first time seeing Holmes since she surrendered last week to the women’s minimum-security prison camp to start her 11-year sentence for defrauding investors in her failed blood-testing startup. The Daily Mail noted that this visit would be the first of a possible 572, as Holmes’ family will only be able to see her once a week under the best of circumstances.
Evans and Holmes’ parents, Christian and Noel, arrived early Saturday morning, before the start of visiting hours, and stayed during the full duration of the time allowed, the Daily Mail said. They were seen outside with the former Silicon Valley CEO, who was dressed in a khaki prison uniform, from about 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The group mostly sat together at a picnic table, before heading into the facility for the remainder of the visit, which ended at 5 p.m.
For this visit, Evans left at home the couple’s two children — William, 2, and Invicta, 4 months.
At times, Holmes and Evans broke away from her parents to take a couple private strolls around the grounds, the Daily Mail said. Evans and Noel Holmes also appeared to be visibly upset, while Holmes’ father looked as though he was trying to appear more stoic, the Daily Mail also reported.
As is allowed, the family purchased snacks from a vending machine and were seen eating Honeybun cinnamon rolls and sipping on water and orange soda, the Daily Mail said. Near the couple were other family members visiting their loved ones.
The facility, known as FPC Bryan, is located in a town next door to College Station, the home of Texas A&M University and about 100 miles northwest of Houston. The prison houses around 600 women who are typically locked up for non-violent offenses and white-collar crimes, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
It features housing units where women sleep in bunks in four-person rooms and college-campus-like recreational grounds where women can exercise when they are not doing cleaning, food service or clerical jobs that pay from 12 cents to $1.15 an hour.
Prior to Saturday’s visit, the Daily Mail had obtained other photos of Holmes — now identified as federal inmate 24965-111 — walking in the prison yard. The Stanford University dropout could be seen wearing the prison’s standard-issue khaki pants, brown T-shirt and lanyard around her neck with her identification. Holmes also also could be seen wearing her wedding ring and a bulky wrist watch. Former inmates have told this news organization that having a watch is crucial for inmates knowing when to be on time for work or for the multiple daily counts.
EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Holmes wears her wedding ring while walking in the prison yard https://t.co/3QZ3SSaI1F pic.twitter.com/HvnO2bhvVC
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) June 3, 2023
Sources told the Daily Mail that Holmes was currently in isolation as part of the admissions process and appeared to be “twitchy” — looking warily around as she became accustomed to her stark new surroundings.
It remains to be seen whether the prison will face blowback for allowing photographers to so easily obtain photos of Holmes and her family in the prison yard. From maps, FPC Bryan is located next to a residential neighborhood and public streets, where it appears that photographers would have little problem getting a view of the prison yard through the perimeter fence and snapping photos of prisoners.
Another celebrity prisoner at FPC Bryan last month raised concerns about being secretly photographed from inside the perimeter, TMZ reported. Jen Shah, the former star of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” reportedly suggested that a member of prison staff or a fellow prisoner, in possession of a contraband cell band, secretly snapped photos of her from a location that had to be inside the facility and leaked those images to the media.
Shah is serving a 5½-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2022 to defrauding thousands of people in a telemarketing scheme. But as much as Shah objects to being photographed, she also has let it be known through friends and colleagues that she’s trying to make the best of her time in FPC Bryan by keeping busy, leading an abs fitness class for other inmates a couple times a week and by working in the prison’s educational department and library.
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