Billy Evans Says Elizabeth Holmes Endured a Deadly Mountain Lion Attack and Fled Media Spotlight for Six Months Before Prison in Emotional Letter

In a 2022 letter, Elizabeth Holmes’ partner, Billy Evans, asked a judge to keep Holmes out of prison, describing a life with her that was anything but normal.

He explained how they lost their dog to a mountain lion, and he described the disgraced Theranos founder as loving, selfless and even naive, according to a report.

In the letter, Evans recalled the day a mountain lion took their husky, Balto, from the front porch. He said Holmes searched for the dog for 16 hours through dense brush and poison oak, and she didn’t give up until she found the dog’s body.

Evans also said that Holmes continued to work as a crisis hotline worker while she was battling COVID-19 with a 104-degree fever while pregnant, and she would take calls from her hospital bed. The two met at a charity event in 2017 and were friends for six months before becoming romantically involved, with Evans initially hesitant because of the bad press about her.

Evans said the media frenzy over the Theranos scandal grew so intense that they traveled across national parks in a truck for six months. He alleged that the couple stayed overnight at campsites or parked in Walmart parking lots to avoid being photographed.

He also said a CNBC reporter allegedly snuck into their apartment building by pretending to live there, then exposed their home address, and that it was one of the reasons they decided to leave. Evans added that Holmes was so trusting that people would befriend her just to exploit her connections.

At the time of writing the letter, Holmes was pregnant with the couple’s second child, and Evans feared that their young son would grow up visiting his mother behind prison glass. Evans said Holmes sang “Amazing Grace” to their son at bedtime, and he asked U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila to consider the woman he knew rather than the woman portrayed by the media.

“Please let her be free,” Evans wrote. In November 2022, Davila sentenced Holmes to more than 11 years in prison for defrauding Theranos investors, and she began serving her prison term in May 2023.

The letters resurfaced because of Holmes’ increased visibility since the release of the documentary You Can See Everything, which follows Holmes and her family in the weeks leading up to her going to prison. The film has sparked renewed public interest in Holmes, including a look-alike contest held in a New York City park. Holmes has also said she’s fighting to prove her innocence.

Evans' family also wrote letters supporting Holmes. His father, Bill Evans, described Holmes as “kind and nonjudgmental,” and his younger sister, Grace, credited Elizabeth with helping her through a difficult relationship and with managing panic attacks.