Sources: Autopsy shows water in lungs of Gilroy girl who died after slumber party

An autopsy of the 15-year-old Gilroy girl who died after a night of drinking at a weekend slumber party has revealed that Sarah Botill had a large amount of water in her lungs, sources said — raising the possibility that she drowned instead of succumbed to alcohol poisoning as was first suspected.

It is still unclear if that was the cause of Sarah's death. However, one of the girls at the sleepover with Sarah apparently tried to sober her up in the shower early Saturday morning. A county expert on alcohol and drugs told the Mercury News that it is possible for someone to drown in very shallow water in a shower or a bathtub if they are unconscious.

"When you're so inebriated that you pass out, you can drown in just an inch or two of water in the shower," said Mark Stanford, division director of addiction medicine and therapy for Santa Clara County's Department of Alcohol and Drug Services.

Stanford stressed that he did not know any of the details about Sarah's case but said the potential for drowning "is why we don't recommend people leave the person who is inebriated unattended. And certainly, don't leave them in the shower unattended."

Sometime after Sarah was in the shower, a call was made to 911 at 8:44 a.m. Saturday to report the girl was unconscious and having difficulty breathing. Fire, ambulance and police responded to the home of former Gilroy City Councilman Roland Velasco, whose stepdaughter held the slumber party.