US swimming star Jamie Cail died from ‘accidental fentanyl poisoning’
US swimming star Jamie Cail’s cause of death was originally listed as cardiac arrest but officials have now released new details.
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A former champion swimmer who died in the US Virgin Islands in February reportedly overdosed on fentanyl, police said after a months-long probe.
Jamie Cail, 42, allegedly died of a “fentanyl intoxication with aspiration of gastric content,” meaning particles from her stomach entered her lungs, the Virgin Islands Police Department said in a statement.
Cail was initially said to have died from a cardiac arrest.
The New York Post reported that police cited an August 22 autopsy report from the Virgin Islands’ medical examiner.
Cail’s boyfriend found her dead on the floor of their home on February 21 after he got back from a bar around midnight, police have said.
They brought Cail to Myrah Keating-Smith Community Health Center. But she died despite doctors’ best efforts.
“She was just a very beautiful person,” a friend told WMUR.
“She had a huge heart. She was really loving and kind and well-loved and popular on the island and everybody knows her.”
A remarkable swimmer in her youth, Cail won a gold medal in the 800m free relay as part of the US team at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships, according to NBC.
During the 1998-99 Swimming World Cup in Brazil, Cail took home a silver medal in the 800m free as a member of the US Swimming National B Team.
She also won the California high school championship in the 200m individual medley and the 500m free, the station said. She also swam at the University of Southern California and the University of Maine.
Cops had been investigating Cail’s death since it happened, NBC said.
She had reportedly been living on the island of St. John with her boyfriend while she worked at a local coffee shop.
Fentanyl has nearly taken over the drug supply in the US during the last few years and deaths attributed to it have risen as a consequence.
There were more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these were a result of fentanyl.
Several high-profile celebrities have also died from the drug during the last few years, including musicians such as Tom Petty, Coolio and Prince.
This article appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission
Originally published as US swimming star Jamie Cail died from ‘accidental fentanyl poisoning’
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