Rossmoor Surgeon Who Drowned Suffered Head Trauma

Six months after the head of UCI’s burn center mysteriously drowned in the pool of her backyard home, detectives still don’t know how it happened.

According to autopsy reports obtained by the Orange County Register under the California Public Records Act,had a blood-alcohol level of .11 and blunt force trauma to her head, including cuts to the front and back of her head. However, detectives with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department haven’t yet ruled the death an accident or homicide.

Immediately following her death, the coroner ruled out a heart attack or cardiovascular disease, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the sheriff-coroner's office. “No obvious signs of foul play" were discovered,” he added.

A friend found Cinat in her pool just after 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

Cinat, a University of Michigan alum who lived in the 2800 block of Mainway Drive in Rossmoor, also served as a professor in the UCI medical school surgery department's division of trauma, burns and critical care, according to a UCI website. She was well known for her work with burn victims among police and firefighters in Orange County.

For the complete Register story, click here.