Five-year-old Mari Luz died by drowning, trial reveals

The final results of the autopsy of five-year-old Mari Luz Cortés, released by the ongoing trial of Santiago del Valle and his sister Rosa over her death, have revealed she did not die in the home of the accused, but drowned in the marshland where her body was found.

Minute algae in the bone marrow of the youngster, who disappeared in Huelva in January 2008, indicated she had inhaled water, the autopsy said. Professor Luis Frontera, who the victim's family brought in to offer a second opinion, noted in 2008 that she had died before being thrown into the water.

The autopsy also said that Mari Luz died more than four weeks before her body was discovered on March 7, 2008, and also ruled out sexual assault.