Cause of death announced for 18-year-old found dead in Prince William County Jail – NBC4 Washington

A teenager found dead after being taken into custody at the Prince William County Jail died of cardiac arrhythmias that complicated chronic opioid abuse, the medical examiner’s office said.

Juan Campos, 18, was found dead in his cell at the Prince William County Adult Detention Center in Virginia on March 28.

The young man’s parents shared their sadness and confusion with News4 in the spring, saying their son was a great kid who loved sports, had a black belt in taekwondo and had talked about joining the U.S. Marine Corps, but struggled with drug addiction.

Campos borrowed the family truck from their home in Stafford County, his parents said, and when he didn’t return after two days, they called police. He was found and arrested in Manassas in Prince William County on March 20 when police found a small blue pill in the truck.

Eight days later, Campos was found dead in his cell.

“We can’t believe he’s gone,” his stepfather Barry Solarz told News4 in April. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

Solarz says they were confident that Campos would be safe in custody and would receive medical care if he suffered withdrawal symptoms.

“We were naive and innocent and felt relieved,” Solarz said in April. “We thought at the time that he would be helped, that he would be taken care of.”

The teenager’s family told News4 on Friday night that they remained seriously concerned that inadequate medical treatment in prison may have contributed to Campos’ death.