Authorities looking into the death of Jamie Cail, a former American swimming champion, on the island of St. John have confirmed that she passed away in the US Virgin Islands.
According to the US Virgin Islands Police Department, Cail’s unnamed boyfriend discovered her on the floor of their house last Tuesday after leaving a bar just after midnight to check on her.
She was put in a car by her boyfriend and a friend, who then drove her to the Myrah Keating-Smith Community Health Center, where CPR was performed, according to the authorities.
Cail, 42, ultimately “succumbed to her ailment,” officials added, saying she had died on arrival. The Criminal Investigation Bureau is investigating, police said. A cause of death has not been released.
Cail won gold at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships as a member of the US women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, according to FINA. She also won a silver medal in November 1998 at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Brazilin the women’s 800-meter freestyle.
“USA Swimming is saddened to hear of Jamie Cail’s passing,” said Lindsay Mintenko, managing director of the US national swimming team. “Jamie was a proud member of our National Teams in the late 1990s and was a cherished teammate. We extend our condolences to Jamie’s friends and family.”
As a teenager, Cail spent some time at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, a private college-preparatory school known as a swimming and diving powerhouse.
Former Bolles swimmer Jooyoung Lee said he “never met anyone who had a work ethic like Jamie.”
He said she would push herself to total exhaustion during training.
“She was so tough… a serious competitor,” he said. “But outside the pool, she was a very sweet and sensitive person.”
Cail was listed in the top 16 athletes nationwide in her age group in at least 10 events in US Swimming’s rankings for the 1996-1997 season.
She swam briefly at the University of Southern California before transferring to the University of Maine where she earned a letter in her only season. She graduated in 2003.
“University of Maine athletics is saddened to learn of the death of former Black Bear swimmer, Jamie Cail,” officials said in an emailed statement. “The University of Maine community asks everyone to keep Jamie’s family and friends in their thoughts.”
CNN has reached out to Cail’s family for comment, as well as to authorities for more details.
The police news release said Cail was from New Hampshire.