Julia Roberts’ family ‘devastated’ after half sister found dead
The family of Julia Roberts’ younger half sister, Nancy Motes, released a statement after she was found dead in the bathtub of a Westside home Sunday, saying they were “shocked and devastated.”
Los Angeles police said there is no evidence of foul play. Law enforcement sources, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity, said some type of drug overdose might have been involved.
Prescription and nonprescription medications were taken as evidence, sources said.
In a statement to People magazine, the family confirmed that Motes was found dead “of an apparent drug overdose.”
“The family is both shocked and devastated,” the statement read.
Motes, the 37-year-old younger half sister of the Oscar-winning Roberts, was found by a friend at a home on North Bundy Drive about 2 p.m. Sunday, according to police.
Roberts, 46, nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for “August: Osage County,” bowed out of Monday’s Academy Awards nominees luncheon to be with family, her representative told E! News.
An autopsy was conducted Monday, but a final determination of cause of death may take several weeks while toxicology results are gathered.
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