Over a span of nearly two years before Sophie Nyweide’s tragic death at age 24 on April 14, the former child star had at least 19 run-ins with Bennington, Vermont police, most of which involved drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine and fentanyl, according to documents exclusively obtained by Us Weekly.
And in the four weeks before she was found unresponsive in a wooded area along the banks of the Roaring Branch River, police responded to 911 calls for a suicide attempt and welfare check for the one-time actress.
According to an incident report in August 2023, the Bennington Police Department responded to an emergency call about a potential heroin overdose at a counseling center parking lot. Nyweide’s father Jeffrey, who was with her at the time, told officers they had traveled from Manchester, Vermont for a counseling session because the former actress “struggled with using opiates for five years.” Per the report, they stopped to have breakfast and after she said that she was going outside to get fresh air, moments later her father found her lying against the vehicle in an “unconscious state.”
During the investigation police found “tinfoil with [a] black mark next to a glassine bag.”
Nyweide (real name Marion S. Nyweide) was also involved in two separate incidents with police in April 2024. In the first encounter, police responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle and found Nyweide behind the wheel. She allegedly told police she “just left the hospital, was tired, and was looking for a spot to sleep” and had parked outside a residence where she “used to buy drugs” and was “hoping to ‘use.’” Police reported finding “approximately five burnt Chore Boy pieces” — a cleaning product that is commonly used as a screen in drug tools.
The second incident that month involved Bennington police approaching a car where Nyweide, who identified herself as “Sophie,” was placed in hand restraints when police noticed a “glassine stamped baggie” that investigators said was “contingent with heroin/fentanyl.”
During one May 2024 traffic stop, Nyweide, who police described as “deceptive” and “defensive,” consented to a search by officers but eventually became concerned because “her father would be mad if she took a long time,” per the documents. Police found a glass smoking device and Chore Boy pieces when Nyweide shook out the contents of her bag.
During another May 2024 run-in with police, Nyweide was identified by police as part of a group of “illicit drug users.” While Nyweide insisted she had no drug paraphernalia on her, police reported: “[The officer] was able to feel something hard in her pants … [and] when [she] pulled her pants out, [they were] able to see a silicone container that she was concealing… to be used to carry illicit drugs.” Police identified a glass smoking device as well as a silicone container containing a white rock-like substance consistent with crack cocaine, according to official records.
Over the next several months, Nyweide was taken into custody multiple times for active warrants. During a June 2024 incident, law enforcement officers said they found heroin as well as five baggies stamped “357” which tested positive for fentanyl.
In July 2024, Nyweide was named in police records as one of four people reported to 911 as “passed out” in a car. The same month Nyweide reported to police that her car was stolen. According to the report, she left her unlocked car in a parking lot with her keys inside. But she was able to track the AirTag that pinged to the Albany area of New York nearly 40 miles away.
In August 2024, police received a 911 call claiming Nyweide took a TV from a local Walmart without paying but she didn’t face any charges. Just two weeks later, police received a call of a potential overdose and a “female slumped over the steering wheel.” Nyweide told the police she ran out of gas and had been there for about two hours, but she didn’t need any help.
Throughout October and November 2024, she was involved in multiple police investigations into suspected drug use in the Bennington area. Nyweide called for help on October 13 to claim she “thought she heard voices outside her residence” but she told police she was safe. During another incident that month, police investigated an overdose call when Nyweide confessed to cops that she had given a friend Narcan — a drug used to reverse an opioid overdose — and her friend survived.
Bennington police officers once again took Nyweide into custody for an active warrant in January 2025 when she was identified in the passenger seat of a truck stopped by authorities. Nyweide was transported to a police station and given $1,000 bail.
Two months later on March 11, police responded to a 911 call of an attempted suicide involving Nyweide, “who had cut her arm on purpose,” according to the report, and was treated at a nearby medical clinic. And just three weeks before her tragic death, officers conducted a welfare check on Nyweide — who they reported appeared “injured” after spotting her walking, per the report. Nyweide confirmed she was “in pain” and was taken to a local hospital.
A death certificate previously obtained by Us confirmed that Nyweide was pregnant at the time of her death. Local police said at the time that they were investigating Nyweide’s death as a “possible unintentional overdose.” TMZ reported that “a man was with Sophie when she died” and that the man “is cooperating with cops” but he was not considered a person of interest.
An autopsy is still pending.
Following her death, Nyweide’s family described her as “kind and trusting girl” and expressed hopes that her death would not be in vain.
“Sophie. A life ended too soon. 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,” her family wrote.
Nyweide’s family shared some of her artwork and explained, “Much of this art depicts the depth she had and it also represents the pain she suffered. 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.”
“Her death has left a hole in all. Sadness, loss, heartbreak and even anger is present for those who loved her and now will have to continue on without her laughter, infectious passion and zest — without those amazing blue eyes that could look directly into one’s soul,” the obituary concluded.
Nyweide made her big screen debut at age 6 and later played Michelle Williams’ onscreen daughter in 2009’s Mammoth. As a child star, she also appeared in Nicole Kidman’s acclaimed 2007 comedy Margot at the Wedding and Russell Crowe’s 2014 biblical epic Noah.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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