BHPD: Whitney Houston was 'Underwater and Apparently Unconscious'

Famed singer was found "underwater and apparently unconscious" in the bathtub of her hotel room at the , Beverly Hills police confirmed Monday while declining to offer any specifics about what may have actually caused her death.

Houston, 48, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. Saturday at the hotel where she was scheduled to attend music producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards party. The released a statement saying Houston was found in her bathtub by a member of her personal staff at about 3:30 p.m.

"She was underwater and apparently unconscious," according to BHPD spokesman Lt. Mark Rosen. "Ms. Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified."

personnel were already at the Beverly Hilton in preparation for a pre-scheduled event when Houston was found. Accompanied by hotel security, the BHFD responded to her hotel room.

"Upon arrival, first responders observed Whitney Houston to still be unconscious and unresponsive," Rosen said. "They initiated CPR, but were unable to revive her."

Rosen said the investigation was continuing, but "to preserve the integrity of our investigation we cannot comment at this time regarding any specifics of that investigation. We also cannot speculate on what may have caused or contributed to her death. The actual cause of death will be determined by the [Los Angeles County coroner's office] following final toxicology results."

Coroner's officials said some prescription drugs were found in the singer's hotel room, but nothing out of the ordinary. Police said earlier they did not suspect any foul play in Houston's death. The results of an autopsy performed on the singer were placed under a security hold on the orders of the BHPD.

TMZ.com quoted family sources Monday as saying that coroner's officials told them Houston did not drown but appears to have died from the effects of a combination of alcohol and prescription drugs, including the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.

Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter told reporters at an early morning news conference Monday that he spoke to family members and never communicated the information reported by TMZ, but he stopped short of denying it.

Winter said his office had not determined a preliminary cause of death.

"You can look at a body and not know what the cause of death is," he said. "You might have a suspicion, but the person could have suffered a heart attack, or an embolism or something; and no matter what medications they're taking, until we run [toxicological tests] and see the level, and what's in the system, we're not going to speculate."

Winter said blood and urine samples taken from Houston's body are being subjected to toxicology testing. Toxicology results usually take six to eight weeks to obtain—two to three if they are rushed.

Though reports have come in that  in her hotel room bathtub, TMZ is reporting that Houston's aunt Mary Jones was the first person to find the singer unresponsive with her face submerged in water.

According to TMZ, Jones had laid out Houston's dress for Saturday's pre-Grammy party about 30 minutes before she went into the bathroom to check on the six-time Grammy winner. When Jones discovered her niece, she pulled her out of the water and began administering CPR.

Houston's body has been released to her family. Television crews showed footage of a police-escorted white van believed to be carrying the singer's body being driven to Van Nuys Airport, then a private plane taking off around 3:15 p.m.

According to media reports, a memorial service for Houston will likely be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., possibly on Friday. In other developments, Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, arrived at LAX Sunday night to attend to his and Houston's 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, who was at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center this weekend.

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.

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