Demi Moore has said she is in “absolute shock” over the death of a 21-year-old man in the pool at a Los Angeles house she owns.

In a statement released through her publicist, the 52-year-old actress said the death at a party hosted by her assistant in her absence was an “unthinkable tragedy”.

“I was out of the country travelling to meet my daughters for a birthday celebration when I got the devastating news,” Moore said.

The victim, Edenilson Valle, had gone missing for 10 or 15 minutes before his friends found him floating in the deep end of the pool on Sunday morning, said coroner’s official Lieutenant Fred Corral.

Valle’s family and friends told investigators he did not know how to swim, Lt Corral said.

Police went to the home on the 9000 block of Oak Pass Road in west Los Angeles after receiving a 911 call. A small crowd was around the man’s body when police officers arrived. Paramedics started CPR, but Valle was pronounced dead at the scene at 5.30am.