Vista jail inmate died of drug overdose: Autopsy

An inmate who collapsed and died last spring at Vista Detention Facility succumbed to a drug overdose, authorities reported Monday.

Eddie Faulkner, 53, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his single-occupancy cell at the South Melrose Drive jail at about 7:30 p.m. on April 17, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies and on-site medical staffers performed lifesaving measures on Faulkner prior to the arrival of paramedics, who took over the resuscitation efforts before pronouncing him dead, sheriff's Lt. Joseph Jarjura said.

Postmortem tests revealed that Faulkner's death was an accident caused by "acute fentanyl, gabapentin and trazodone intoxication, with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as contributing factors," Jarjura said.

Faulkner was on parole when he was arrested on Nov. 7 by El Cajon police for allegedly failing to comply with a court-ordered requirement to register as a sex offender, according to sheriff's officials.