Tragedy has befallen a former child actress and her family, and an investigation has been launched into the circumstances of her "untimely" death.

Sophie Nyweide, 24, was found dead on a riverbank in the woods in Vermont last week, and though police suspect she likely died from an unintentional drug overdose, they have not ruled out other possibilities, and the "investigation remains open," according to Fox News.

Making the situation even more tragic is the revelation that Nyweide was pregnant at the time of her death.

Dead of suspected drug overdose while pregnant

Fox News reported that the Bennington Police Department in Vermont responded to a call early on the morning of April 14 about an unresponsive woman on a riverbank in the woods, later identified as Nyweide, and though first responders attempted to save the woman's life, she was ultimately declared dead around 5 am.

TMZ reported that while investigators believe that Nyweide succumbed to a drug overdose, they have not ruled out the possibility of foul play.

She was found near a makeshift structure of downed trees, and an unidentified man was with her when she died. That man is said to be cooperating with the police and is not considered to be a suspect or even a person of interest, though investigators are searching for other individuals who are believed to have been present shortly before her death.

Compounding that tragedy, People magazine reported, was the revelation from Nyweide's death certificate that she was pregnant at the time of her unexpected death last week.

Few additional details about that pregnancy were publicly released, but an unnamed source described as being "familiar with the investigation" reportedly told the outlet that Nyweide was in the "early stages" of carrying an unborn child.

Family reveals Nyweide was struggling with "trauma and shame"

In an obituary published by her family that has since been taken down, it was acknowledged that Nyweide used her love of art and writing to deal with her undisclosed "struggles and traumas" in life, and that others who'd tried to help her with those issues were "heartbroken" at the loss.

"She self-medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside, and it resulted in her death," the 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."

"Sophie. A life ended too soon," the family added. "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."

Grieving mother addresses rumors about daughter's death

In a separate statement to TMZ, Nyweide's mother, former actress Shelly Gibson, sought to address some of the rumors circulating about her daughter's death, including that the "trauma and shame" she was dealing with was related to her relatively brief career as a child actor in Hollywood, during which she appeared in a dozen films, shorts, or TV series.

"We are very distraught and mourning. All I can say is her time acting was brief but very happy," Gibson said. "She wasn't a child star in the least and wasn't subjected to anything hurtful on those films. She was always safe on those sets. Please let her rest in peace now."

"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," the grieving mother added. "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."