SAN DIEGO

A man died in his cell early Friday at the County Jail downtown, Sheriff’s Department officials said.

Eddie George Baca, 37, of the 400 block of East 7th Street in National City was found dead at 5:25 a.m. by two others in the same jail cell, said Sgt. Manny Castillo.

Baca had been examined by the medical staff a day earlier and was suffering from heroin withdrawal, Castillo said. He was taking medication, but Castillo would not specify what type or in what amount.

There were no signs of physical trauma on Baca’s body, said Deputy Coroner George Dickason. An autopsy was scheduled for today.

Baca had trouble breathing during the night but did not summon deputies and neither did his cellmates, Castillo said. They noticed he had died when breakfast was being served, Castillo said.

“Right now, it looks like a natural death,” Castillo said, adding that Baca appeared to have died in his sleep.

Baca was arrested Aug. 17 on suspicion of auto theft, driving under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance, and a state parole detention order, Castillo said.

There have been 28 deaths in local jails from 1983 to 1988, according to a recent report by the county’s chief administrative officer. Of those, 11 deaths were attributed to natural causes, 10 to suicide, 6 to accidents and 1 to homicide.