Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Daughter Wasn’t In Water During Drowning

Despite previous reports, Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s daughter was not in the water during his drowning and was safe onshore.

Officials in Costa Rica have provided new details clarifying the timeline of events that led to Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s tragic passing on Monday, July 21. Despite previous reports that his daughter was also rescued from the water, Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) told PEOPLE on July 24 that she was not in the water with him when he drowned.

“Mr. Warner was playing with his daughter at the seashore at one point. He then left her out of the water, and he and a friend of his entered the sea,” the statement–which was translated from Spanish to English–read. “It was at that moment that they were swept away by the current, and the friend managed to get out. However, Mr. Warner was unable to get out and was pulled out by several people on the beach. He received care from Red Cross officials, but was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The OIJ previously confirmed to the outlet that Warner’s cause of death was ruled “asphyxiation by submersion.” The Costa Rican National Police formally identified his body and will be “removed from the Judicial Morgue by a funeral service company hired and authorized by Mr. Warner’s family.”

The Medical Director for the Talamanca Health Area, Dr. Mauricio Solano Corella, previously confirmed that a 29-year-old man was at the scene attempting to rescue Warner. He was “treated, found to be stable, and was discharged without complications,” the doctor told PEOPLE in a statement.

Warner was 54 at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife and his daughter, whose identities were never publicly revealed.