Actress Skye McCole Bartusiak died Saturday at her home in Houston, her mother said Sunday.
“We lost our girl,” Helen McCole Bartusiak told CNN.
Investigators have not determined a cause of death. Bartusiak had been suffering from epileptic seizures in recent days, according to her mother.
Bartusiak's boyfriend found her sitting up in her bed in the garage apartment adjacent to her parents’ Houston home, her mother said. “We think she had a seizure and choked and nobody was there.”
The actress had started her career in 1999 when she was only 6 years old with a role in The Cider House Rules.
Her most well-known role was in The Patriot as the youngest daughter of Mel Gibson’s character.
In 2001, she played the daughter of Michael Douglas’ character in Don’t Say a Word.
The actress also appeared in Against the Ropes (2004), Boogeyman (2005), Pineapple (2008), American Primitive (2009), and Good Day for It (2011).
She had many TV appearances, including roles in 24, Lost, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and CSI.
Her last film role was the lead in Sick Boy, a low-budget thriller released in 2012.
Watch Bartusiak's incredible performance in The Patriot here:
