Malcolm-Jamal Warner Death: Police Clarify Daughter Wasn’t in Water During Drowning, Timeline of Events

Costa Rican officials are providing new details that clarify the timeline of events that lead to Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death on Monday, July 21. He was 54.

In a new statement obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, July 24, Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) told PEOPLE that Warner’s daughter 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, 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,” the statement continued. “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 PEOPLE that Warner’s cause of death was ruled “asphyxiation by submersion.” Warner’s body was formally identified by the Costa Rican National Police and will be “removed from the Judicial Morgue by a funeral service company hired and authorized by Mr. Warner’s family,” the office said.

Dr. Mauricio Solano Corella, Medical Director for the Talamanca Health Area, previously confirmed that a 29-year-old man from Nicaragua was at the scene attempting to rescue Warner.

The man was “treated, found to be stable and was discharged without complications,” Dr. Corella told PEOPLE in a statement.

The investigation remains ongoing. Warner is survived by his wife and his daughter.

Warner was best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. His other credits include The Resident, Community, Malcolm & Eddie, Major Cimes and 9-1-1. He also co-hosted the podcast Not All Hood with his friend, Candace Kelley.

“His other biggest mission, besides his family, was just being a good person,” Kelley told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview published on July 24. “He wanted to be remembered like that; he has said that, he just wants to be remembered as a good person, and by all accounts, he’s got that down. He really did. That was really sincere.”