UPDATE: Several former Silverdale Corrections Officers Speak About their Experiences

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Monday, a spokesperson for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announced, a preliminary autopsy found 26-year-old Madison Deal’s death was caused by a medical problem, and showed no “Physical Trauma.”

According to Deal’s family attorney, Bryan Hoss, Deal turned herself into the Hamilton County Jail Wednesday, August 10th, for a misdemeanor citation, and was later sent to Silverdale.

Fast forward two days, Friday, Deal was attacked by other inmates in her cell, which Hoss says was all caught on surveillance video.

The next day, Deal told her mother about the attack, and also told Silverdale nurses she was vomiting, had tightness in her chest and severe head pain.

The following week, Deal collapsed and was taken to Erlanger where died at 5-A-M on a Thursday, just seven days after turning herself in.

News 12 spoke with a former  Silverdale corrections officer, who worked there for more than six months, and claims to have left due to poor security, and the mistreatment of inmates.

“I had an incident where this inmate, his foot was swollen, and I called my captain, I let her know do I need to call medical she said no he’s probably faking. Now how do you fake a swollen foot? I seen it with my own eyes, that his foot was swollen. And I came back the next day and I asked him, did you see medical treatment? He goes no, they still won’t let me go see anybody because I don’t have insurance. And I’m like, well you don’t have to have insurance, you’re in here. They should provide that for you.”

News 12 was also given hand written and signed documents from current and former Silverdale inmates. One of which reads.

“I have never felt so threatened in my life. I do not feel safe in any way.”

No one in the group says they were still working for Silverdale at the time Deal was being held there, but say they weren’t surprised when they heard she may have been denied proper medical attention, after she was attacked in her cell.

“They could be fighting, no one knows, cause we’re so short handed, no one’s in their checking on them.”

“There was an inmate, said he was threatened for his life. I called a code and they was supposed to come get him. The next day I came in they had beat the crap out of that little boy. You couldn’t even tell who he was, I’m surprised he’s alive, they beat him so bad.”

According to her family’s lawyer, Deal told Silverdale nurses she was vomiting, had tightness in her chest and severe head pain.

“Anybody with a chest pain, they’re automatically supposed to be sent to the hospital no matter what. Now they’re like, is he sweating? If he’s not sweating he stays. Or they come and check his pulse. If his pulse is fine, they don’t do nothin.”

Deal died in a local hospital just one week after she was booked into the Corrections Facility.

“CCA says inmates are people too, treat them like people. They don’t treat them like people.”

“Silverdale needs to be shut down, and a whole new facility put up and all new employees.”