Newton was found in a sump near his home, and police said this appears to have been accidental.
Though police were uncertain how the boy died, they said it appears that he crawled into a hole in the sump and then was buried when the hole collapsed.
Earlier today, police said a 9-year-old friend of Newton's told them the boy had been shot and kidnapped around 10:30 a.m., when they were playing together outside his home.
Newton's friend said a black-looking Honda-type vehicle with a white driver-side door pulled up, a man got out of the car, shot Newton in the shoulder, then grabbed and kidnapped him by putting him in the car, police said.
However, since there was no blood at the scene and no bullet casings were found, police said they could not confirm the shooting.
One neighbor said she heard muffled noises and a possible shot coming from down the street, but didn't think anything of it, according to ABC News affiliate KERO-TV in Bakersfield.
In the Amber Alert, police said they were looking for a white male, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing black clothing, a possible black mask or dark face make-up.
They were also looking for a black four-door compact Honda-type vehicle with a white driver-side door and green license plate frame that was heading toward Highway 99.
They issued an Amber Alert, but it was cancelled late this afternoon.
