BODY OF BOY, 7, FOUND IN POOL YOUTH MISSING SINCE SUNDAY; POLICE UNCERTAIN OF MURDER.

Byline: Ryan Oliver Staff Writer

The body of a missing 7-year-old boy was found Tuesday at the bottom of a swimming pool in exclusive Holmby Hills where he had attended a birthday party, and Los Angeles police admitted they never properly checked the pool during a two-day search.

Detectives said they don't know if Paolo Ayala, 7, of Beverly Hills was murdered and his body taken to the pool later or whether he accidentally drowned Sunday.

``Everything is pending on the autopsy tomorrow,'' said LAPD Captain Rich Wimmer, as detectives continued to comb the estate and the neighborhood for clues.

``We are looking at all possibilities. We cannot definitely say we are looking one way or another.''

The boy had attended a Sunday birthday pool-party at the estate in the 10300 block of Wyton Drive. Police began an intensive search for Paolo after he was reported missing about 5 p.m. Sunday. He was last seen swimming in the pool and wearing blue swim shorts.

LAPD Deputy Chief Dave Kalish said the housekeeper found the body face-up in the middle of the pool about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

At that time, Kalish said it was ``obvious that the boy's body was placed in the pool after'' investigators left the home at 10 p.m. Monday, after two days of searching.

But later Tuesday, a different possibility began to emerge. LAPD Sgt. John Pasquariello said there had never been an ``official'' search of the pool, and that investigators had been operating on the premise that there was no way they could have overlooked a body.

``There were so many eyes that looked at (the pool) from so many different angles, they thought there was no way could they could have missed it,'' Pasquariello said.

Officials declined to say if there were indications the body had been in the water for several days, or if there were any obvious sings of trauma. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed today.

``We are all saddened this boy died, but whether we found him (Tuesday) or Sunday there is nothing we could have done to prevent this,'' Pasquariello said.

Still, there were other scenarios. Police had not ruled out the possibility of an abduction and homicide, or that the boy might have simply walked off and fell into the pool later.

Police said that a bloodhound brought in to aid in the search for Paolo had picked up the child's scent several blocks away on Wilshire Boulevard. Some drains and underground pipes were searched as well.

Chief Martin Pomeroy told police commissioners the boy could have wandered off and fallen into the pool Monday night or died elsewhere before the body was placed into the pool.

``Which of those scenarios is more likely, we can't say at this time,'' Pomeroy said. ``We're exploring all possibilities.''

The site is just north of Holmby Park, normally a quiet stretch of grass adjacent to the Los Angeles Country Club. The Playboy Mansion is nearby.

The rest of Holmby Park is complete with tennis courts, a few pitch-and- putt golf holes, a bocce ball area and walking trails.

The Wyton Drive estate, which is partially under construction, has no back fence, so it is possible the boy could have been brought back and placed in the pool.

However, Pasquariello said that by 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, cadaver dogs had not picked up the boy's scent in the park area adjacent to the back yard.

``So far they have found nothing. If that continues to be the case this will no longer be a crime scene,'' Pasquariello said.

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Boy's Body Found