Michelle Trachtenberg’s Family Declines Autopsy After Actress Dies at 39

The former child star’s cause of death has been listed as undetermined.

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 19, 2009. Mark Mainz/AP Photo

The family of actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who died on Wednesday at the age of 39, have objected to an autopsy, the New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said on Thursday.

The former child star was found “unconscious and unresponsive” in her apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side after police responded to a 911 call, the New York Police Department’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI) told The Epoch Times via email.

Paramedics responded and pronounced her dead at the scene.

No foul play was suspected and the New York Medical Examiner is determining the cause of death, the spokesperson said.

Trachtenberg’s family objected to an autopsy, according to the NYC’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Because there was no evidence of criminality, the medical examiner’s office honored the objection, limiting its findings.

The cause and manner of her death are listed as undetermined and an investigation remains ongoing.

Trachtenberg, who reportedly underwent a liver transplant prior to her death, was found by her mother, ABC News reported.

“The family requests privacy for their loss,” Trachtenberg’s representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Born on Oct. 11, 1985, in New York City, Trachtenberg began her acting career at an early age, appearing in commercials when she was just 3 years old, according to her IMDb biography.

She was eight when she landed a recurring role as Nona Mecklenberg on Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete & Pete,” appearing on the show from 1994 to 1996.

Trachtenberg later starred in the title role in the film adaptations of “Harriet the Spy” alongside Rosie O'Donnell, J. Smith-Cameron, and Eartha Kitt, and “Inspector Gadget,” opposite Matthew Broderick.

Tributes Pour In for ‘Fiercely Loyal’ Actress

However, she is perhaps best known for playing the role of Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s titular character Buffy Summers, in the television show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” from 2000 to 2003.

The actress also became a fan favorite for her role as Georgina Sparks on the teen drama “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, for which she was nominated as a TV villain at the Teen Choice Award in 2012.

Trachtenberg also appeared on episodes of “Law & Order,” “Weeds,” “Clarissa Explains It All,” and “All My Children,” as well in as the movies “EuroTrip,” “Ice Princess,” “The Dive from Clausen’s Pier,” “Beautiful Ohio,” and “Black Christmas.”

Gellar took to Instagram to pay tribute to her former co-star after Trachtenberg’s death was confirmed on Feb. 26.

“Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live … for you,” she wrote.

Actress Blake Lively, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in “Gossip Girl” as Serena van der Woodsen, also paid tribute to her in an Instagram story, describing her as “ electricity,” and someone who gave “200 percent” to everything she did.

“She laughed the fullest at someone’s joke, she faced authority head on when she felt something was wrong, she cared deeply about her work, she was proud to be a part of this community and industry as painful as it could be sometimes, she was fiercely loyal to her friends and brave for those she loved, she was big and bold and distinctly herself,” Lively said.

Melissa Gilbert, who starred with Trachtenberg in the 1996 film “A Holiday for Love,” wrote in a social media post. “My heart aches for your family and all those who loved you so.”

The Epoch Times has contacted the NYC’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner for further comment.

Audrey Enjoli and The Associated Press contributed to this report.