Melayna Whatley Courtesy of DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Two women have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of helping three inmates escape the DeKalb County Jail, including a man serving a life sentence, before the escapees allegedly kidnapped a Lyft driver and fled to Florida.
Melayna Whatley, 30, of DeKalb County, and Gabriela Ortis, 22, of Miami, were indicted Sept. 23 on charges of conspiracy to aid and assist escape, aiding and assisting an escape, and harboring and concealing an escaped prisoner, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
PREVIOUS STORY: Girlfriend charged in DeKalb County jailbreak earlier this month
Authorities arrested Whatley on Sept. 29. Ortis appeared in federal court Thursday following her arrest.
Women accused of arranging help outside jail
Stevenson Charles, Yusuf Minor and Noad Yohannes escaped from the DeKalb County Jail on Dec. 21, 2025, prosecutors said.
Charles had been sentenced to life in prison in June 2025 in the Southern District of Florida for carjacking, kidnapping, bank robbery and brandishing a firearm. The U.S. Marshals Service transferred him to the DeKalb jail on Dec. 5 to face additional state charges.
Prosecutors allege Whatley made phone calls and sent text messages on Minor’s behalf to find a getaway driver before the escape.
On the night of the escape, she allegedly let the three men temporarily hide at her Flat Shoals Road residence and use her cellphone to contact additional co-conspirators. Ortis allegedly arranged their transportation by hiring a Lyft driver.
Lyft driver kidnapped during flight to Florida
After entering the Lyft vehicle, the three men allegedly placed an item around the driver’s neck, dragged her into the back seat, tied her hands together and threatened her.
They then drove her vehicle nearly 700 miles to Broward County, Florida, with her inside, prosecutors said. Law enforcement officers captured the men and rescued the driver on Dec. 22.
Three escapees convicted in kidnapping case
A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found Charles guilty Feb. 27 of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
Minor pleaded guilty March 27 to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping and Hobbs Act robbery. A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found Yohannes guilty of those same three offenses May 5.
The FBI is investigating the case against Whatley and Ortis, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.
The indictment contains allegations, and both women are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.