Vermont police are not ruling out the possibility of murder as they continue to investigate the death of 24-year-old actress Sophie Nyweide.
Nyweide's body was found along a riverbank in Bennington on April 14 around 4 a.m., and authorities have not ruled out foul play. The New York Post reported that her body was found near a lean-to - a makeshift structure created from downed trees. She was found with a man at the time of her death, but he is not considered a suspect or a person of interest and is cooperating with law enforcement.
Nyweide, a former child actress, has credits spanning from 2006 to 2015. She is best known for her role in Darren Aronofsky's film "Noah" from 2014
"My knowledge is she was using drugs and was a tiny young woman. She was with other people when she died. I didn't know them. There is an investigation ongoing. The autopsy results are not in. They said it would take 6-8 weeks. So I can't say definitively," Nyweide's mother, Shelly, wrote in a statement to TMZ.
The Bennington Police Department told the New York Post that the investigation is open and "we are still waiting on final autopsy and toxicology reports from the Vermont Office of Chief Medical Examiner."
An obituary posted online recalled how much Nyweide enjoyed acting.
"She seemed happiest on a movie set, becoming someone else. It was a safe place for her and she relish from the casts and crews who nourished her talent and her well being," it stated.
The obituary also refers to Nyweide's ongoing struggles.
"Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas. 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," the letter adds.
