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East County News Service
August 29, 2025 (Santee) – The San Diego County Medical has completed an autopsy on Callen Lines, 31, who was found unresponsive in her cell at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee on May 12 at 7:25 p.m. After emergency efforts by paramedics and Santee Fire Dept. personnel, she was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.
The Medical Examiner's Office has determined the cause of death was fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, and the manner of death was accident.
When. Lines was booked into the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, her intake screening urinalysis tested positive for methamphetamine, fentanyl, and additional narcotics. She had arrested just one day earlier on multiple theft-related charges including vehicle theft and resisting an officer.
The Sheriff's Office has developed a three-pronged approach to combatting drug overdoses in the jail. This involves interdiction, harm reduction and enforcement. It is unclear why Lines did not receive treatment after her urine tested positive for drugs.
The Sheriff’s department has drawn criticism in recent years for the high number of jail deaths regionwide, including eight women who have died while in custody at Las Colinas since 2019.
“How many more women have to die before real change happens? The San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and its contracted medical staff, continue to fail those in their care?” asks Paloma Serna in a Facebook post. Her daughter, Elena Serna, died while in custody at Las Colinas in 2019. “We demand transparency, accountability, and an end to these in-custody deaths,” she writes.
Lieutenant Juan Marquez in a press release, states, ““We are committed to the safety of individuals in our jail and continue to make meaningful improvements,” adding, “The San Diego Sheriff's Office extends our sympathies to the Lines family and all those affected by Ms. Lines' passing. A Sheriff's Family Liaison Officer will continue to support the family as they navigate through this difficult time.”
The Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) was notified regarding the incident. As is the protocol for all in-custody deaths, the Sheriff's Homicide Unit responded and is conducting a thorough investigation, although the Medical Examiner has ruled the death accidental.
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