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Father of autistic teen, 19, who died in police custody while begging for help says he was banging his head on wall to soothe himself
The father of an autistic teen who died in police custody after slamming his head on a cell door said his son desperately needed help and was simply trying to soothe himself.
Isaiah Trammell, was taunted, belittled and threatened by nine guards as he begged for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio. He was taken the facility after an arrest following a mental health episode in March, 2023.
Celsey Trammell, Isaiah's father, told NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield that he would regularly bang his head to 'self soothe' - a common practice known as 'stimming.'
'So, growing, Isiah growing up, you know, due to his autism, he would have episodes, and it's called stimming, and what it does is it allows them to self soothe, and kind of self-calm themselves,' Celsey said.
Disturbing video showed him asking the guards numerous times to 'just talk' to him, but instead they said that Isaiah was 'ridiculous,' 'embarrassing' and 'acting like an a**.'
Isaiah Trammell, was taunted, belittled and threatened by nine guards as he begged for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio in March, 2023
Isaiah's father, Celsey Trammell (pictured), told NewsNation that he would regularly bang his head when he was 'stimming' to 'self soothe'
After badly injuring himself, he was taken to a hospital and put on life support for three days before he died. The corner ruled he died by suicide.
Now, more than a year after the tragic incident, Celsey said that he and his family have not heard from authorities about their son's tragic death.
'As of right now, no. We haven't received anything from anyone in regards to Isaiah, but I will say that we miss him quite a bit, he was a fantastic human being and a great person to be around, and like I said, we truly, truly miss him,' his heartbroken father added.
Isaiah's mother, Brandy Abner, also said that their son was 'stimming' inside of the jail cell to calm himself down.
'Some people flop their arms, some people do hand - I mean, he did all of that too, but when he would get really upset, he would hit his head,' Brandy previously told The Columbus Dispatch.
Isaiah had been taken to jail after neighbors called police because he'd spent the night banging his head into a wall at his home.
He told officers banging his head on the wall was 'the only way I know to get rid of the crazy in my head.'
After fatally-injuring himself, Isaiah was taken to a hospital and put on life support for three days before he died
Officers detained Isaiah after they discovered he was wanted on an outstanding misdemeanor domestic violence warrant. He had allegedly been abusive to his sister and her husband.
Both of his parents said that they were not aware of the outstanding warrant against their son.
'Yeah, that's strange to us as well. It wasn't the first time that we've called Montgomery County Sheriffs,' Celsey said.
'In the past, usually when he would have his episodes, and go through what he did, we would always call the sheriff's department to have them come out to make sure that he was okay, that he wouldn't cause any kind of harm to himself or, or anything like that.'
Brandy said: 'We always call when he begins to rage - it's a mental health call, not an "arrest me" call.'
The 19-year-old told officers he suffered from ADHD and did not want to live.
Isaiah was put on suicide watch, meaning he was strip-searched and isolated in a safe cell.
However, according to the Dispatch, he wasn't given a mattress, blanket or a suicide-resistant gown.
'He hated his body to be exposed and he kept telling them. He hated to be confined. Absolutely that would trigger him,' his mother said.
Officers allegedly kept him on the restraint chair for more than an hour, which is against Ohio standards for restraints.
The cops also threatened to put him into the chair a third time. The restraint chair is supposed to be a last resort and used after providing medication.
When the distressed teen asked for his medications, a phone call and a blanket, he was denied, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
When one officer said they couldn't use the restraint chair, another cop replied: 'Just put the chair in front of his fu***** cell so he stops. Give him a constant reminder.'
The Montgomery County Jail Coalition has called on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) to investigate Isaiah's death.
Sarah Gelsomino, the family attorney, said that they will 'absolutely' be pursuing legal action against the jail.
Officers booked Isaiah after they discovered he was wanted on an outstanding misdemeanor domestic violence warrant. Both his parents said they were not aware of the warrant
'Celsey and Isaiah's family want to make sure that they can do anything, that they will do anything that's within their power to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else, not in this jail and hopefully not in any others, so they're certainly considering all of their options, including a lawsuit here,' Gelsomino told Banfield.
When asked why nobody saw that Isaiah needed medication and a proper assessment, Gelsomino said his family has been left with the same questions.
'Unfortunately, that's really all he needed,' she said.
'He just needed to go to the hospital and the family of Isaiah had used the criminal legal system before to, like, call the police, to ask for help to get him to the hospital, to get him the help that he needed, that help that he asked for once he was in the custody of this jail.'
'And you know, the fact that they just stood by for so long while he caused himself so much harm is inexcusable.'
'This, this poor young man suffered so greatly and so unnecessarily for too long,' Gelsomino added.
Yvonne Currington, a retired nurse and Jail Coalition member, agreed that the outcome would have been different for Isaiah if he was properly taken care at the jail.
Sarah Gelsomino, the family attorney, said that they will 'absolutely' be pursuing legal action against Montgomery County Jail
'Isaiah would be alive today had he been treated with dignity and respect in the jail by staff concerned for his health and well-being,' Currington said.
'Instead of listening to his cries for medication he was laughed at and ignored. We need accountability for what happened to him.'
The Sheriff's office told Dayton Daily News on Monday that ODRC's Bureau of Detention found no 'deficiencies' in how the sheriff's office handled his death.
'Medical and mental health providers at the jail provided treatment to Trammell from the time he was booked into jail until he was transported to a local hospital,' the sheriff’s office spokeswoman Christine Bevins said.
'Although people facing charges for violent crimes shouldn’t be released to society to deal with, our community needs a medical facility with a lockdown unit that can better handle those who are in crisis.'