Frederick Gayle Hyatt

Officer Frederick Hyatt was strangled and beaten to death during an escape attempt by five inmates at the Middle Tennessee Correctional Complex at 7177 Cockrill Bend Boulevard in Nashville.

Other officers noticed an inmate in a common area, out of his cell, at approximately 11:30 pm. The officers attempted to contact Officer Hyatt, who was assigned to the common area, but were unable to reach him.

When officers responded to the common area, they located Officer Hyatt's body. He had been strangled with a cord from a laundry bag and beaten with his flashlight and a sock filled with canned food. Officer Hyatt was taken to Saint Thomas Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

None of the five inmates were able to escape, and all were kept in custody at the prison.

Officer Hyatt was a United States Army Vietnam veteran and had served with the Tennessee Department of Correction for 11 years.