Months after it was reported that former “General Hospital” and “Chicago Justice” actress Lindsey Pearlman had left behind two suicide notes before her body was found in a car parked near Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles on February 18, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office has officially listed the manner and cause of her death, therefore closing the case which up until recently had been deferred pending additional investigation.
The 43-year-old died by suicide the coroner’s office indicated with the cause of death noted as “sodium nitrite toxicity.”
According to the LAPD, at around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, February 18, officers responded to a radio call for a death investigation at Franklin Avenue and North Sierra Bonita Avenue. The body was later confirmed to be that of Pearlman whose full name was Lindsey Erin Pearlman.
TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, reported days later that Pearlman had called her husband, Vance Smith, the day before her body was found telling him her intention to end her life. “Her husband contacted police in a frantic effort to find Lindsey. He never saw her alive again,” the website stated.
Appearing on “General Hospital” over two episodes aired in January 2020, Pearlman portrayed the role of barista Margaret “Maggie” McMorris. She shared scenes with series stars Maurice Benard, Steve Burton and Max Gail when their characters traveled to Brooklyn, NY so that Sonny (Benard) could get Mike (Gail) to take part in a clinical trial to help treat his Alzheimer’s disease.
In a clip (shown below), Pearlman’s Maggie was used as a human shield at the Brooklyn Union Pub where she worked when Jason (Burton) shot a hitman to save her life.
In addition to her recurring role on “General Hospital,” Pearlman’s other television credits included such shows as “Selena: The Series,” “American Housewife,” “The Purge,” “Chicago Justice” and “Empire,” among others. She also appeared as the lead in such films as “Signal to Noise” and “Pry Me Open.” In theatre, she appeared in numerous productions, including “Trevor,” “The Eight: Reindeer Monologues,” and “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.”