Michelle Trachtenburg’s cause and manner of death have officially been released.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City, where Trachtenberg was found dead early Wednesday, ruled both the cause and manner of death as undetermined, according to a statement shared Thursday with USA TODAY.
Undetermined can mean either that there was inadequate information to assess how a person died or that the information was conflicting, with equal amounts supporting or negating a specific “manner” of death, such as suicide, homicide or accident.
Trachtenberg’s family declined an autopsy, and the medical examiner’s office honored that request, CNN and ABC news report.
USA TODAY has reached out to Trachtenberg’s rep for comment. 
Trachtenberg was found unconscious and unresponsive Wednesday and determined dead by EMS officials. The NYPD said no criminal involvement is suspected and the investigation is ongoing.
Gary Mantoosh, a representative for Trachtenberg, confirmed her death “with great sadness” in a statement to USA TODAY Wednesday. “The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time.”
The 39-year-old actress, known for roles in teen television classics like “Gossip Girl” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” rose to prominence throughout the 2000s after years of work as a child star.
Trachtenberg’s breakout Disney role came with 2005’s “Ice Princess,” a star-studded coming-of-age film that she led featuring Kim Catrall, Hayden Panettiere and Joan Cusack.
The movie helped elevate her already growing fame, which first kicked off with a recurring role on “Buffy,” as the sister of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s title character.
Later, she became a fan favorite, playing Georgina Sparks on the CW series “Gossip Girl” opposite Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, Kelly Rutherford, Ed Westwick, Taylor Momsen, Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley.
Reacting to the news of her death, Lively wrote in a story post on Instagram, “She was electricity. You knew when she entered a room because the vibration changed. Everything she did, she did 200%.”

“The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle,” she continued. “May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.”
Rosie O’Donnell, who co-starred with Trachtenberg in “Harriet the Spy,” one of the actress’s biggest early successes, told Us Weekly that her death was “heartbreaking.”
“I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped,” she said.
News
HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAITING FOR SOMETHING — A witness account from the Frontier Airlines runway tragedy is now circulating online after passengers described the movements of an unidentified man moments before the plane reached takeoff speed
The night of May 8, 2026, began as a routine departure for Frontier Airlines Flight 4345, an Airbus A321 bound from Denver International Airport to Los Angeles. On board were 224 passengers and seven crew members, most of whom were…
WHY WAS HE THERE— That’s the question passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight said they kept asking themselves after learning a man was involved in a crash during takeoff in Denver. What shocked them even more was the victim’s phone, which contained just two lines
The night of May 8, 2026, began as a routine departure for Frontier Airlines Flight 4345, an Airbus A321 bound from Denver International Airport to Los Angeles. On board were 224 passengers and seven crew members, most of whom were…
NO SIGNS THAT HE WAS TRYING TO ESCAPE— A newly revealed witness testimony from the Frontier Airlines plane crash is raising disturbing questions about the final moments before impact. Investigators reportedly believe the man was standing directly in the plane’s flight path until the very last moment
A newly revealed witness testimony has intensified the mystery surrounding the death of Anthony Pollio, the 33-year-old man struck by Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 at Denver International Airport, with accounts indicating he showed no signs of attempting to escape and…
She chose him: These three words are currently circulating on social media after sources claimed Vincent Diaz was furious about the relationship between Adrian Valdovinos and his estranged wife 💔 Meanwhile, detectives are examining a DIVORCE contract found near the bedroom door
Three words — “She chose him” — are now spreading rapidly across social media as sources close to the investigation claim they capture Vincent Diaz’s reported fury over his estranged wife’s new relationship with rising boxer Adrian “Angelo” Valdovinos. Meanwhile,…
NEW INFORMATION REVEALED: According to reports, detectives found Adrian Valdovinos’ overnight luggage and boxing equipment inside the bedroom believed to be the source of the confrontation between Vincent Diaz and the attention-grabbing 4-WORD letter
Detectives investigating the May 3, 2026, murder-suicide in Hanford, California, have uncovered poignant new details inside the bedroom where the fatal confrontation occurred. According to reports, officers found Adrian “Angelo” Valdovinos’ overnight luggage and boxing equipment neatly placed or scattered…
He kept driving past the house: That’s what one neighbor reportedly told investigators about Vincent Diaz in the days before Adrian Valdovinos was killed — while CCTV footage allegedly captured the same vehicle circling the block twice after midnight
A neighbor’s stark recollection — “He kept driving past the house” — is now part of the official investigation into the May 3, 2026, murder-suicide that claimed the life of 25-year-old rising boxer Adrian “Angelo” Valdovinos in Hanford, California. Coupled…
End of content
No more pages to load