The cause for actor Michelle Trachtenberg’s death remained “undetermined” on February 27, 2025, after her family objected to having an autopsy performed, New York City officials said.
Trachtenberg, 39, was found dead in her luxury Midtown Manhattan apartment on February 26.
While there is no criminality suspected, the city medical examiner couldn’t tell what caused the Gossip Girl star’s death from a preliminary exam. The medical examiner is honoring the family’s objection to a full autopsy, an agency spokeswoman said. That means the official cause of death will never be known.
More from LittleThings: Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ And ‘Gossip Girl’ Actor, Dies At 39
Trachtenberg was found unresponsive by her mother in her apartment near Columbus Circle at 8 a.m. on February 26. Her mother called 911 and EMS responded but declared Trachtenberg dead at the scene, police said.
Sources told ABC News the actress recently underwent a liver transplant and may have been experiencing complications.
Pictures of Trachtenberg on social media appearing frail and gaunt in recent months drew concerns from fans that she was in ill health or battling addiction. In January, she responded to fans’ concerns by saying she was happy and healthy.
“I’ve received several comments recently about my appearance,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have never had plastic surgery I am happy and healthy. Check yourself haters.”
The native New Yorker was a child actor who played bit roles in commercials and television episodes until she got the coveted role of pint-sized private investigator Harriet in Harriet the Spy. She went on to perform as Buffy’s sister Dawn in the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as the notorious Gossip Girl frenemy Georgina Sparks.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News (TNS)
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