Actress Skye McCole Bartusiak, best known for her role as Mel Gibson’s daughter in The Patriot, has died after having seizures, according to reports.
Bartusiak passed away Saturday at her family’s Texas home after a week of epileptic seizures, her mother told CNN, adding that she tried to resuscitate the dying girl before paramedics arrived.
'We lost our girl,' mother Helen McCole Bartusiak told the network. 'She was a kind and really beautiful girl.'
The young woman's boyfriend found her sitting up on a bed in a garage apartment next to the house, the mother added.
'We think she had a seizure and choked and nobody was there,' she said.
The woman frantically tried to bring her dying daughter back to life while paramedics raced to the scene.
'I've done CPR on that kid more than one time and it just didn't work this time,' she lamented.
Once there, paramedics worked on her for 45 minutes without being able to save her life, the grieving mother added.
She had suffered epileptic seizures for most of her life until they inexplicably went away for a few years until returning last week.
'We lost our girl,' mother Helen McCole Bartusiak told the network. 'She was a kind and really beautiful girl.'
The young woman's boyfriend found her sitting up on a bed in a garage apartment next to the house, the mother added.
'We think she had a seizure and choked and nobody was there,' she said.
The woman frantically tried to bring her dying daughter back to life while paramedics raced to the scene.
'I've done CPR on that kid more than one time and it just didn't work this time,' she lamented.
Once there, paramedics worked on her for 45 minutes without being able to save her life, the grieving mother added.
She had suffered epileptic seizures for most of her life until they inexplicably went away for a few years until returning last week.
Bartusiak was seven years old when she was cast in the role of Susan Martin, the daughter of Benjamin Martin played by Gibson in the 2000 hit film directed by Robert Emmerich.
The cast of the American Revolutionary War epic also included a young Heath Ledger, who played Susan's older brother. The Australian actor died in 2008, aged 28, from a prescription drug overdose.
Bartusiak’s movie credits also included smalls parts in the psychological thriller Don’t Say a Word starring Michael Douglas and Cider House Rules with Charlize Theron.
According to Variety, over the past 14 years Bartusiak also appeared in a number TV shows, including 24, Lost, CSI and House MD.
A native of Houston, the 21-year-old actress has recently produced and starred in several shorts, including Frame of Reference and Bushido last year, and Sick Boy in 2012.
According to a TMZ report, police were called to the Bartusiaks' family's home in Houston at around 9am Saturday after Skye was found unresponsive inside her garage apartment.
Police sources told the celebrity gossip site they have not detected any 'obvious signs’ of foul play or a suicide.
An autopsy will be performed to determine a cause of death and a toxicology report is still pending.
According to Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, Skye was the daughter of Don Bartusiak, chief engineer with Exxonmobile based out of Houston.
The 21-year-old is also survived by her mother, Helen, and her older brother, Steve.
Fellow child star Abigail Breslin, 18, sent out a tweet Saturday night eulogizing Skye, whom she described as a very good friend who was like a sister to her.
