Malcolm-Jamal Warner Was in Ocean With His 8-Year-Old

A tough new detail in the drowning death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner: Police tell ABC News the actor was swimming with his 8-year-old daughter when the two became caught in a rip current while vacationing in Costa Rica. Surfers reportedly saw the pair struggling and came to their aid. One used his board to get the girl to shore while someone else got Warner out of the water. He was given CPR for 45 minutes, police say, but the resuscitation effort failed. Police added that the autopsy confirmed the 54-year-old's cause of death was accidental asphyxiation by submersion.

The New York Times spoke with Mike Geist, the VP of Caribbean Guard. His group is made up of about 35 volunteer lifeguards who oversee three beaches in the area. Geist said resources were thin on Sunday so they concentrated their efforts on another more crowded beach. "We had to make this judgment call, and it turned out to be bad," Geist said. "It sickens my stomach that we weren't there, because I can't tell you how many days I personally spent there on that post, in that guard stand, and because of stupid money, you know, and we just did not have enough people to do it." Geist said a friend of his, who is both a surfer and doctor, was the one to pull Warner out. He "was on the floor of the ocean," Geist said of Warner.