Autopsy report soon on boy in pool

Paolo Ayala

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- An autopsy was concluded Wednesday into the cause of death of 7-year-old Paolo Ayala whose body was discovered on the bottom of a swimming pool behind a home in the upscale Westwood neighborhood here.

The findings were to be released at a joint news conference with the Los Angeles Police Department and the coroner's office at 2:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET).

"The medical examiner has sufficient evidence to conclude the cause of death," Coroner Dave Campbell said. The autopsy began Wednesday morning.

Deputy Police Chief David Kalish said Tuesday the coroner would look for "water in the lungs, food content in the stomach ... [to] determine the time and the cause" of death.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO Police say searchers may have missed seeing Paolo Ayala's body in pool. CNN's Frank Buckley reports. (June 5) Play video

Investigators admitted they were baffled over the discovery of Ayala's body behind the home where he had gone to attend a birthday party Sunday.

The pool was searched after Ayala was discovered missing when his parents arrived to pick him up.

Authorities initially said they believed the body had been placed in the pool sometime after the exhaustive search, but they later admitted the body may have been there the entire time.

One official said part of the reason it was taking longer than usual to determine cause of death was the decomposition of the body -- an indication it may have been submerged in water for two days.

The police official also said detectives had been getting different stories from those who attended the party, prompting them to consider different theories of what may have happened.

Coroner's officials remove Paolo's body from home where it was found Tuesday.

A housekeeper in the home discovered the body about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. When Ayala's body was removed, he was wearing the swimming trunks he was wearing when he disappeared Sunday, and there was no obvious trauma to the body, Kalish said.

He said a pool maintenance man serviced the pool Monday after it was searched. The maintenance man added chemicals but did not sweep or vacuum it, Kalish said.

-- Los Angeles Producer Stan Wilson contributed to this report.