Australian woman finds love with her American prisoner pen pal

Savannah never imagined she would fall in love with Alex, who will be released in 2026 at the latest.

We’ve all heard the old saying ‘you’ll find love when you least expect it’.

Well, for Savannah Phyffer, it was more about the ‘where’ rather than the ‘when’.

The Fifo (fly in, fly out) worker has had her fair share of unsuccessful relationships over the years while residing in her hometown of Perth, Western Australia.

But little did she know, she was just looking in all the wrong places.

Fast-forward to today, and the 29-year-old is the happiest she has ever been after falling head over heels for the love of her life, Alex, 31.

According to Savannah, he is sweet, caring, funny and kind – all the qualities she could ever want in a man.

The only catch? He is an American prisoner that is currently incarcerated in a Nevada jail, over 15,000 kilometres away.

The pair had been writing letters to one another through a pen pal service called ‘Write A Prisoner’, which allows people from all over the world to connect with inmates currently serving time.

They can be male or female prisoners from across the United States, and their crimes vary in severity.

While some may be looking at just a few months of jail time, others await the inevitable on death row.

“It is actually quite funny how it all happened,” Savannah told news.com.au.

“I’d found another inmate on the ‘Write A Prisoner’ website who I’d written to. They responded to one of my letters, and I wrote back.

“But I never heard from them again. Then I received a letter out of the blue - it was from Alex.

“He was in the same jail as the first man I’d written to. It turns out the first man gave him my details.

“So I guess you could say he made the first move.

“We began writing back and forth, and eventually we talked on the phone. The feelings blossomed from there.

“I never imagined I’d fall in love someone this way, but that is how it happens sometimes.”

Five months after their initial introduction, Savannah and Alex made their relationship official in September 2022, despite never having met in person.

“It just kind of happened naturally,” she said.

“We had not really put a label on it, until one day, we just realised that we did not want to be with anyone else.

“So we were like, ‘Let’s make this official’, and became boyfriend and girlfriend.

“The fact we haven’t met in person yet doesn’t bother us at all. Our personalities match so well and we just get along like a house on fire.”

Although the pair have not yet met in person, they talk on the phone every single day, often twice a day.

Alex does not have access to a mobile phone, but is allowed to make calls on the prison’s landline to Savannah, who has to get an American telephone number.

He also has a tablet device with an email-type system that prisoners can use to receive emails and pictures. However, they cannot reply.

Savannah says that their relationship is the best one that she has ever had, and they fall more in love with each other each day.

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been with Alex,” she beamed.

“There is something magic between us, and I just know this is who I meant to be with.

“He makes me feel incredibly special and loved. I’ve never been treated so well before.

“The effort he puts into our relationship is incredible. I feel so secure.”

While she does not wish to disclose the details of his crime for safety reasons, Savannah said it had nothing to do with “murder or crimes against women or children”.

Alex was locked up back in 2020, and is due to be released in 2026 at the very latest – but she is hopeful that he may be released as early as next year.

Alex was sent to jail in 2020, but Savannah claims his incarceration has nothing to do with "murder or crimes against women or children".

When the time comes, she plans to move over to the United States to be with her beau.

But for now, Savannah has finally been given the green light to book her plane ticket and fly over to Nevada, so that she can finally meet the love of her life in person.

“I am so excited to be able to just hold him and kiss him,” she said.

“That will be the best feeling ever. I cannot even imagine how incredible it is going to be.

“I talk to his sister at least once a week, and we get along really well. She will be able to help me out once I am over there.”

Savannah is sharing her story to help raise awareness of the heavy stigma and unfair judgement people who have been in prison often face.

She wants to spread the message that people’s mistakes should not define them and that everyone deserves a second chance.

“People are so quick to judge or make up their own wrong assumptions,” she said.

“A stupid mistake someone made years ago should not define who they are today. People change, grow and learn from their past.

“Not everyone has had the same advantages and privileged start in life.

“So many people tell me that I’m crazy to be with someone who is in prison. But he treats me better than I’ve ever been treated before.

“He is a good person, with a kind heart. That is all that matters to me, and I am so excited for our future together.”