New details are emerging regarding the tragic death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner. And the actor was not the only casualty who first responders tended to at the scene.
Us Weekly has confirmed that the Costa Rican Red Cross was alerted to a water-related incident at Playa Grande, Cahuita, Limón, via the 9-1-1 emergency system on Sunday, July 20, at 2:10 p.m, and when authorities got the alert, three ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
Emergency personnel attended to two adult male patients, a spokesperson for the Red Cross exclusively shared with Us Weekly. As of this publishing, a 35-year-old man who hasn’t been identified was transported in critical condition to the local clinic and his current condition is unknown, while CPR was performed on a 54-year-old male — Warner — who was declared dead at the scene.
The spokesperson confirmed that both Warner and the second individual were “involved in the same incident.”
Cosby Show’s Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dead at 54
Warner’s body has been transferred from Limón to the Forensic Medicine Unit in San Joaquín de Flores for an autopsy
The Costa Rican Red Cross noted that the scene was handed over to the police authorities to undergo legal procedures. Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department shared with Us that a preliminary investigation showed that the victim “appeared to have entered the sea and was apparently swept away by a current.”
“Despite the rescue efforts made by Caribbean Guard volunteers at Playa Grande, the actor — who was vacationing in the area with his family — tragically lost his life,” Roger Sanz, the President of the Chamber of Tourism and Commerce of the Southern Caribbean, said in a statement. “We want to make it clear that we are organized, that most of us do inform our clients and visitors. But like in every part of the world, accidents can happen — and this time, it happened to us.”
Us has learned Warner had been in Costa Rica since July 13.
News broke on Monday, July 21, that Warner died at age 54. Costa Rican National Police told ABC News on Monday that his official cause of death was ruled as asphyxia, which occurs when an individual doesn’t get enough oxygen in their body.
He is survived by his wife and daughter, whose identities were never revealed. Us reached out to Warner’s team for comment at the time.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Most Memorable Roles Over the Years
Warner rose to fame as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, where he starred for eight seasons from 1984 to 1992. He most recently starred in Fox’s The Resident for five of the medical drama’s six seasons.
Following Warner’s death, several celebrities publicly mourned him. “I’m completely devastated over the passing of my friend Malcolm-Jamal Warner,” Sherri Shepherd said in a statement shared with Us. “He brought much laughter and gravitas playing my husband on my self-titled sitcom. He also made two appearances on my talk show Sherri, most recently in April to promote his series Alert: Missing Persons Unit.”
She continued, As someone who grew up on TV, Malcolm remained one of the most-grounded people I’ve ever met in our business. To know Malcolm was to know a renaissance man that possessed humor, grace, humility and deep cultural appreciation. He was just a good guy! His passing is a true loss to the Hollywood community. He was a proud girl dad and loved his daughter so much. To his family, friends and all who loved him — my heart is with you.”