A 24-year-old inmate who died at Las Colinas women’s jail in Santee last fall succumbed to complications of drug abuse and pregnancy, authorities reported Thursday.

Deputies conducting a security check in a medical observation unit at the eastern San Diego County detention center found Elisa Serna of Alpine unconscious and unresponsive in her cell on the morning of Nov. 11, according to sheriff’s officials.

Despite lifesaving efforts, she was pronounced dead, said Lt. Michael Blevins.

Serna had been in custody for six days on suspicion of theft and narcotics offenses, and was being housed by herself at the time of her death, Blevins said.

After postmortem examinations, the county Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that Serna died of natural causes related to substance abuse, with a contributing factor of early intrauterine pregnancy.

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