Joshua James Campos
Joshua Campos, 28, was a man who lived with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and his father, Jay Campos, of Brea, said he needed a closer watch than the general population could give him. He died in March 2022 at the Theo Lacy facility in Orange, where he had been held in the custody of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department said the death did not appear suspicious and that a final cause would await toxicology and autopsy, while the death was reported as a fentanyl overdose. His cellmate found him not breathing and called for help, and the family's attorneys and a federal civil rights lawsuit say deputies did not respond for several minutes. In March 2025 a federal jury found Orange County liable and awarded his father $3.3 million.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). A federal jury found Orange County liable, and the family's lawsuit says Joshua was found not breathing after apparently overdosing on fentanyl in his cell while deputies did not respond for several minutes to his cellmate's call for help.
Reported by: federal jury; Family's attorney Christian Contreras and the family's federal civil rights lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Orange County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His father sued Orange County in federal court and a federal jury found the county liable, awarding $3.3 million in March 2025; the county had not commented and it was unclear whether it would appeal.