Father of braindead 22-year-old Hamilton County Jail inmate speaks out

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – On Monday, we brought you the story of a 22-year-old man who is braindead after being in custody at the Hamilton County Jail, his family said. 

Christopher Ayala had been arrested on April 27 for a misdemeanor improper usage of a 911 call charge.

A few hours later, he mysteriously ended up in the hospital braindead.

A photo of Christoper Ayala posing on the Walnut Street Bridge, currently brain dead after being in custody at the Hamilton County Jail. (Courtesy: Ayala Family)

Seventeen days later, his father Edwin Ayala was still seeking answers from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

Ayala said, “There’s like a million cameras in Silverdale. I’m pretty sure someone knows what happened to him. I literally told him, “Look man, all I want is for you to show me. Take me to a room and show me, this is what happened to your son.””

Edwin Ayala said when his son was taken to the hospital, he was notified by hospital staff that his son was hospitalized, not jail staff.

He said they told him his contact information was given to them by jail staff, who had not informed Ayala his son required medical attention.

Ayala explained, “Nobody really thought that mattered to let us know. No one really thought, “Someone needs to tell the parents of this boy right here that he’s dead.” No one. Like I said, I want answers. I want justice. I want answers.”

For Ayala, he said the continual lack of answers from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office continues to erode any possibility in his mind that this was some sort of accident.

He said, “If they feel they don’t have to notify us and let us know what’s happening, then if this is the people that are supposed to serve and protect us, who’s protecting us? No one is protecting us.”

Ayala says his family is heartbroken, as he worked alongside his son in construction after Christopher had attended college and wants others to remember him more for who he was than what happened to him.

He said, “My son was one of the smartest, brightest kids I know… He meant everything to me.”

Ayala said he can only appeal to a higher power for now.

Ayala continued, “I pray to God every day, to give my son the strength… to give me the strength… We won’t be able to live a normal life after this.”

The family is continuing to seek out legal options, as they are currently represented by former District Attorney Neal Pinkston, who News 12 spoke to on Monday.

We once again have reached out to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to get some sort of answer to our questions about this incident.

They still have not responded to our inquiries.