UPDATE: Autopsy Inconclusive on UCI Burn Center Chief

The autopsy on Dr. Marianne E. Cinat, who was found dead in her Rossmoor swimming pool Saturday, was inconclusive, a coroner spokesman said Monday.

The 46-year-old director of UCI's Regional Burn Center was discovered just after 11 a.m. Saturday by a longtime friend, said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the sheriff-coroner's office.

Investigators will do more tests to determine the cause of death, he said, noting that toxicology tests could take several weeks. The coroner ruled out a heart attack or cardiovascular disease, Amormino said, and "no obvious signs of foul play" were discovered.

In a statement released Sunday night, UCI spokesman John Murray called Cinat "an outstanding surgeon whose skill and compassion touched the lives of hundreds of burn survivors and their families. She was a wonderful colleague, friend and mentor whose presence will be deeply missed."

Murray said the UCI community was "devastated by this loss. ... Our thoughts are with her family.”

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.

"What's special about burn care is how it leads to long-term relationships," she said on UCI's website. "Some of our patients are in the hospital for several months. You develop a very special bond with them and their families. For me, providing holistic care for patients is what takes priority and what I love."

-- City News Services contributed to this report.