(CNN) -- Police announced Friday that there is no indication of foul play in the deaths, within days of one another, of a 6-year-old boy and his father's girlfriend at the same southern California mansion.
Introducing a detailed presentation involving multiple officials, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said a team of investigators has been working intently for weeks to probe the sudden deaths of Max Shacknai and Rebecca Zahau, who was dating the boy's father, Jonah Shacknai, and lived in the same house.
"Our responsibility is to answer the one very important question: Were these deaths the result of criminal conduct?" Gore told reporters. "Was Max's death a homicide? The answer is no, it was a tragic accident. Was Rebecca's death a homicide? Again, the answer is no, it was a suicide."
Authorities first went to the home, in the San Diego suburb of Coronado, on July 11 after getting a call from Zahau's 13-year-old sister reporting that Max had fallen down the stairs and was not breathing, Coronado Police Commander Mike Lawton told reporters. Zahau, her sister and the boy were the only ones in the residence at the time of the incident.
Police arrived within two minutes, followed a minute later by firefighters who -- after finding the boy unconscious on the floor -- "began lifesaving measures immediately," Lawton said. But despite extensive medical treatment, Max Shacknai eventually succumbed to his injuries on July 16.
Within that span, on July 13, authorities got another 911 call from the home. This time, it was to report that Rebecca Zahau was "discovered hanging naked, with her feet and hands bound," Gore said.
Authorities combed the locations, conducted interviews and relied on medical and forensic evidence, including DNA, fingerprints and biomechanics, the sheriff said.
"The (investigative findings) are all compelling, and all point persuasively to a single conclusion: These deaths are not the result of any criminal acts," Gore said. "Science is our best witness in this case. Science is not biased, nor does it lie."
The mysterious nature of the deaths, as well as the posh surroundings in which they occurred, has elicited intensive media attention. Jonah Shacknai, who was the father and boyfriend respectively of the two people who died, is the founder and CEO of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. as well as a lawyer and former congressional aide.
