Swimmer Jamie Cail’s family believe she was beaten to death and claim autopsy photos show the top of her skull and nose smashed as they reject the ruling that she died of an accidental fentanyl overdose
- Jamie Cail was just 42 when she died in February in the US Virgin Islands
- Virgin Islands police said her death was caused by an accidental fentanyl overdose
- But her family has said autopsy photos show her head had collapsed
American swimmer Jamie Cail’s family has rejected that she died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, claiming instead that autopsy photos show her head was smashed in by someone who “laid hands on” her.
The former swimming champion, who was just 42 when she died in February, was found unconscious by her boyfriend on the floor of his home on the island of St. John, in the US Virgin Islands.
Jessica DeVries, who identified herself as Cail’s cousin, claimed the photos show her death was not an accident, and that her family is calling for “justice.”
The photos that were shared Insider but unpublished due to their graphic nature reportedly show Jamie’s left eye badly bruised and her nose stained.
Jessica claimed the photos were evidence that “Jamie’s face was smashed in, the top of her skull and nose.”
Jamie Cail (pictured) was just 42 when she was found unconscious on the floor of her boyfriend’s home in the US Virgin Islands
Her family has said there’s no chance the gold medal-winning swimmer (pictured here at the Phillips 66 National Championship in Tennessee) died of a fentanyl overdose.
Jessica DeVries says she’s seen photos showing her cousin “smashed in.”
A message from sister Jessica (seen above) reveals that Jamie’s family does not believe her death was an accident
“Her face is smashed. Did fentanyl do that to her?
“We know Jamie didn’t intentionally take fentanyl. There is definitely foul play,” Jessica said.
Jessica, who claims to be a “psychopharmacologist,” added in a now-deleted social media post that while she believes the toxicology report, “what I don’t believe is the accident part.”
“I know how easy it is to get an OD with fentanyl…all it takes is a few grains of salt to kill someone.”
She was not an opiate user. This was from something she ate/drank/smoked.”
A report from a Virgin Islands coroner, shared last week with the US Virgin Islands police, states that Cail, a member of the US team at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships as a teenager, died of “fentanyl poisoning with aspiration of stomach contents.” and ruled that her death was ‘accidental’.
But Jessica called the conclusion “horrible” and said photographs taken of Cail’s body by a family contact in March showed “someone had taken hold of Jamie.”
Jessica said she and the rest of her family felt “a complete failure” by local authorities, adding: “We want transparency and we want justice.”
Jamie (in the middle of the black Bolles suit) was a champion swimmer, having swum several times for the U.S. national swim team
Jamie’s family is ‘completely devastated that (her) name is tarnished in this way’
Cail won a gold medal in the 800-meter free relay at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships as a teenager
The family is “totally devastated that Jamie’s name is tarnished in this way.”
Jamie was not a fentanyl user or any kind of opioid user. She didn’t do drugs. She was a national, international swimmer who deserves this honor because she was amazing and dedicated her life to it,” said Jessica.
Cail won a gold medal in the 800-meter free relay at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships as a teenager, and the following year at the Swimming World Cup in Brazil, she took home a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle for the U.S. Swimming National B Team.
She also won the California high school championship in the 200-meter individual medley, as well as the 500-meter free swim.
MailOnline has reached out to the Virgin Islands Police Department and the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of Medical Examiner for comment.