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Julia Roberts' half-sister Nancy Motes was found dead on Sunday, her family confirmed in a statement to the NY Daily News.

"It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes ... confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose," the statement read. "There is no official report from the Coroner's office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated."

Lieutenant Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office added in a statement:
    "Nancy Motes was found dead at a residence in the bathroom yesterday, pronounced dead by the LA Fire Department at 2:12 PM yesterday. Not sure whose residence it was. She was found in a bathtub that had water in it. We're taking it as a suicide, not a drowning. She's being examined today. We are waiting for the doctor to provide his findings. There were prescription and non-prescription drugs found at the scene. Cannot tell you what those drugs were. The role the drugs may or may not have played is not yet known. The investigator at the scene listed at this point that he is going with suicide and we are waiting for the doctor to finish the examination. We haven't gotten anything yet."


Motes was the youngest sibling of Julia and Eric Roberts, and though the relationship between the sisters wasn't perfect, Motes revealed in an interview with the NY Daily News last August, "We're both trying to change our opinions of each other ... I love Julia absolutely, and I have no doubt she loves me."