Six months after Jamie Cail’s death in the U.S. Virgin Islands, local police finally released the cause of death for the 42-year-old former standout swimmer.
The Virgin Islands Police Department revealed Saturday that Cail died of “fentanyl intoxication with aspiration of gastric content” based on an Aug. 22 autopsy report. She was found unresponsive by her boyfriend at their shared residence in St. John and pronounced dead after a failed CPR attempt at Myrah Keating-Smith Clinic back in February.
The Virgin Islands’ Criminal Investigation Bureau said the overdose was accidental but offered no further details on its investigation as of press time. Local police had previously said she suffered cardiac arrest before her passing.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that most of the 106,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 were caused by fentanyl. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden requested nearly $800 million in additional funds for the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice to expand access to addiction care and reduce the supply of drugs such as fentanyl.
Cail was one of the best high school swimmers of the 1990s. She represented the U.S. internationally at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships as just a teenager, where she won a gold medal on the team’s 800 free relay. She swam the 3rd leg alongside Lindsay Benko, Ashley Whitney, and Jenny Thompson.
Cail also won a silver medal at the 1998-99 FINA Swimming World Cup in Brazil in the 800 free as a member of the United States Swimming National B Team.
Cail swam for the legendary Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, where she remains the team record holder in the 200-yard fly, 400-yard IM, 200-meter IM, and 400-meter IM in the 15-16 age group. While with Bolles during the 1996-97 season, Cail was on ten Top 16 lists published by USA Swimming.
She would eventually move to Huntington Beach, California to train with the Golden West Swim Club where she won California High School State Championships in the 200 IM and 500 free. She competed collegiately at both USC and Maine.
FYI no one taking street fentanyl (accidentally or otherwise) is out here having a great time.
I’m glad some of y’all are far enough away from the crisis to cast aspersions… but drug abuse isn’t a measure of character. And it’s not fun.
Get on your morality or drug education pedestal but it won’t help what is inherently a mental health and socioeconomic crisis. As someone who battled addiction, the preaching rhetoric only made me more cynical.
Also as someone who battled addiction, others in the community were some of the kindest and most empathetic folks I had the pleasure of meeting. I don’t want to assume anything about Jamie’s situation – this is for the gross… Read more »
Opioid addiction and accidental overdose is a huge public health problem that has skyrocketed originally secondary to the marketing of OxyContin. Now because of the regulation of OxyContin and other high potency opioids, fentanyl is now being marketed by the cartels and on the Internet using the same methods the drug reps marketed OxyContin. The big problem now is fentanyl due to the cheap ingredients coming from China. When we manage to stop fentanyl then black tar heroin will spike(levels of heroin are up too). These drugs are so addictive anyone can fall prey within a one to three day prescription or one snort or injection. There are also counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl that even look like over the… Read more »
Her Boyfriend was also convicted in connection with the murder of a tourist in 2007.
All these commenters are ruthless. Where is your compassion? RIP.
Addiction is a terrible disease, and the drug supply has grown increasingly dangerous. What a terrible loss of a young and accomplished woman with so much promise. My heart goes out to Jamie’s family and friends as they grieve her loss.
This is really sad news, and my heart goes out to her family.
I remember swimming against Jamie in New England in the early-90s, when we were both in the 11-12 age group. She was just so thoroughly dominant it was intimidating! I’m sorry to hear she had other demons in her life.
wondering what she took. Doesnt sound like the type of person that would get into smack. Cocaine? Ecstasy? What a terrible thing. Did she have children?
I don’t understand this comment. It’s not uncommon for former athletes or people with higher education to get into opioids. Cocaine and Ecstasy are uppers and aren’t commonly cut with fentanyl(a downer). I think it’s much more likely that Jamie well victim to opioid addiction.
No I totally get that. You get injured, you get prescribed a painkiller… some people get addicted. I just haven’t seen a lot of former elites get into heroin. I feel like they have the mental fortitude to avoid going down that horrible path, but I understand it can happen to anyone. Makes sense about the uppers, but ive heard stories of fentanyl being in a lot of things.
There’s been a huge spike in coke laced with fentanyl
just say no