Isaiah Trammell
Isaiah Trammell was a 19-year-old who had autism, and his family remembers him as a young man with a big heart who loved to share his voice and dreamed of becoming a music artist. He was held at the Montgomery County Jail in Dayton, Ohio, in March 2023 and died three days after being taken to hospital, where the coroner listed complications of blunt force head trauma and ruled the death a suicide. The sheriff's office said he injured himself, and a sheriff's office risk management report says he was housed alone on suicide precautions and refused a blanket, a mat and a phone call. His family says staff ignored his cries for help and that he was placed in a restraint chair twice, and his father says he should have been taken to a hospital sooner. The family has filed a federal lawsuit against the county and its medical contractor, and a county jail coalition has called for a state investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner ruled the death a suicide from complications of head trauma, while his family's lawsuit says staff ignored his cries for help, a sheriff's office risk management report says he was refused a blanket, mat and phone call, and the Montgomery County Jail Coalition calls for a state investigation.
Reported by: Montgomery County Coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Montgomery County Jail Coalition (advocates); Dayton 24/7 Now (reporters).
Lawsuit: Isaiah Trammell's family filed a federal lawsuit against Montgomery County and its medical contractor over his death, and no amount was reported.
News reports (4)
- What’s behind a surge of deaths at one Ohio jail?
- New video shows incident before Montgomery County Jail inmate died in 2023
- Family calls for change after son with autism dies following incident in Montgomery County jail
- Ohio family pushes for updated restraint chair training for people with neurodivergence