Police have shared a huge update after the death of former child star Sophie Nyweide at just 24 years old.
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The former child actress was best known for her role as Michelle Williams’ daughter in the 2009 film Mammoth.
News of her death at just 24 years old was confirmed by her family in an online obituary, which stated that she passed away on April 14, per the Daily Mail.
“Sophie was a kind and trusting girl,” her loved ones wrote. “Often this left her open to being taken advantage of by others. She wrote and drew voraciously, and much of this art depicts the depth she had, and it also represents the pain she suffered.”
Nyweide, who'd stared in seven movies before her 10th birthday, had lived a troubled life, her family revealed.
“Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas,” her obituary explained. “Even with those roadmaps, diagnoses and her own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers and others who tried to help her, are heartbroken their efforts couldn’t save her from her fate.”
They revealed that Sophie had “self-medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside,” and that “resulted in her death.”
Despite their continued support, her family said she “repeatedly said she would ‘handle it’ on her own and was compelled to reject the treatment that might possibly have saved her life.”
According to reports from TMZ, Nyweide was "found lifeless on a riverbank” near a lean-to made of felled trees on April 14, “not far from a high school in Bennington” at around 4AM, and was declared dead at the scene.
Police have now launched an investigation into her death, and have not ruled out "foul play".
Nyweide's cause of death has yet to be confirmed pending an autopsy and the results of a toxicology report.
Bennington Police Department’s investigation will consider "a range of possible causes, including foul play," officials told TMZ.
"This is an open investigation and we are still waiting on final autopsy and toxicology reports from the Vermont Office of Chief Medical Examiner," Bennington Police said in a statement to the New York Post.
A man who was with Nyweide at the time of her death is "cooperating with cops", but is not "considered a suspect or person of interest" at this time.
According to TMZ, other people were also hanging out at the lean-to before Nyweide's death, who they are attempting to trace. The outlet also reports that while the actress was not living in the structure, she had allegedly visited it on prior occasions.
Following Nyweide's death, her family urged those mourning her passing to consider donating to RAINN — the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network — in Sophie’s name, calling on the world to “do better", the Mirror adds.
“Sophie. A life ended too soon. May it not be in vain. May we all learn from her brief life on earth and do better. Yes, we must all protect our children and do better.”
Born on July 8, 2000, her mother Shelly Gibson, an actress herself, sparked Nyweide's interest in the craft, per E! News.
“She grew up in this movie theatre and slept in the movie theatre and had a little bed in the projection booth and watched many movies,” Gibson said in a 2010 interview with The Times Argus.
Her daughter added: “I kept wondering what would it be like if I could see myself on that screen. What would it feel like to be doing this? Would it be hard, would it be easy? I wanted to try it.”
Sophie’s acting debut came in 2006 when she landed the lead in Bella, a film directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde and starring Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard.
The film won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
She went on to appear in Law & Order, And Then Came Love, Margot at the Wedding, New York City Serenade, and An Invisible Sign alongside Jessica Alba.
In the 2010 movie, she played the daughter of a terminally ill woman - a performance that drew critical acclaim. “The film’s best performance comes from a 10-year-old,” wrote New York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis in 2011. “Playing a near-motherless tyke, little Sophie Nyweide (who looks like a diminutive Emily Watson and already has five films under her belt) should have a glowing future.”
Her final on-screen appearance came in 2015, on ABC’s hidden camera show What Would You Do?
Her mother, Shelly Gibson — known for her roles in Dust to Malibu, St. Elsewhere, and All My Children — paid tribute over the weekend, sharing a moving message with a photo of her daughter.
“RIP, my Sophie. She graced us for far too short a time. My daughter was a light for all who met her. For those us of who were truly close with Sophie, we are gutted and will need a long time to get over her passing. I know I never will. God I love my daughter. I want her back. Fly high sweetheart — you always could.”
Our thoughts go out to Nyweide's family, loved ones, and fans at this time.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or rainn.org in the US, or contact rapecrisis.org.uk or call 0808 500 2222 in the UK.