General Hospital alum Lindsey Pearlman found dead days after being reported missing

Actress Lindsay Pearlman (ex-Maggie McMorris, General Hospital) has been found dead in her car several days after her family reported her missing. The California native was 43.

Lindsey Pearlman, known for television series such as General Hospital (ex-Maggie McMorris) and Chicago Justice, was found dead in her car on Friday morning, several days after going missing. She was 43.

According to a missing persons advisory issued by the Los Angeles Police Department on February 16, Pearlman had been reported missing by friends and family who "feared for her safety" after she "failed to return home" the evening of February 15.

On the morning of Friday, February 18, police officers in the Hollywood area responded to a radio call for a death investigation after a woman was found dead in a parked car near Franklin Avenue and North Sierra Bonita Avenue. The LA county coroner's officer later confirmed that the individual was Pearlman.

"The police found Lindsey. She's gone. I'm broken," shared the actress' husband, Vance Smith, on Instagram. "I will share more later, but I wanted to [say] thank you to everyone for their love and efforts and ask you to respect the privacy of her family at this time."

The cause of Pearlman's death has yet to be released, but over the weekend, Pearlman's cousin, Savannah, tweeted that the late actress' sister asked her to share the National Suicide Hotline phone number.

"Please know that you are never truly alone," Savannah wrote along with the number: 1-800-273-8255.

Pearlman was a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and had been active in the Chicago theater community before moving to California after she booked a recurring role on Chicago Justice. Some of her acting credits include The Ms. Pat Show, Sneaky Pete, American Housewife, Empire, and Vicious.

The actress appeared in two early 2020 episodes of GH as Margaret "Maggie" McMorris, a barista at the Brooklyn Union Pub who was saved by Jason (Steve Burton) after she was taken hostage during a gun battle. The scenes also included Mike (Max Gail) and Sonny (Maurice Benard).

Following confirmation of Pearlman's death, GH executive producer Frank Valentini tweeted, "Lindsey Pearlman was terrific on @GeneralHospital and we are saddened to hear of this tragedy. Our hearts go out to her family and friends."

https://publish.twitter.com/?query=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fvalentinifrank%2Fstatus%2F1494860860572852232&widget=Tweet

Actress Elaine Hendrix (ex-Brandee Fields, Days of our Lives; ex-Alexis Carrington, Dynasty) also paid tribute to her friend on Twitter.

"Thank you to everyone who shared Lindsey's missing person report," she tweeted. "I'm deeply saddened & stunned to share that she was found deceased. There's no further info to share at this time. Pls send her friends & family love."

Actress and filmmaker Lynn Chen (ex-Regina, All My Children) also took to Twitter about her friend's passing.

"This is how I will remember Lindsey Pearlman. Effortlessly beautiful and talented. Hilarious. Compassionate. Unapologetic," she shared with a photo of the late actress. "She lit up every room. She listened intently on stage and off. She so loved animals. I am sorry to her family and all the communities who deeply adored her."

As Pearlman was very passionate about animals, her family and rep say donations in the actress' honor can be made to Sant D'Or, a volunteer-driven animal rescue and adoption center serving the greater Los Angeles area.

UPDATE (February 24, 2022): Authorities are currently seeking more information before a cause of death for GH actress Lindsey Pearlman can be declared. The deferment was confirmed by a public information officer from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, who told Deadline that the body of the actress was examined by a physician and a cause of death was deferred.

Deferred means that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation into the death, including additional studies, the spokesperson explained. Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination.

The process can take as long as eight weeks. Meanwhile, the manner and time of death are also pending determination by the coroners office. The police investigation also remains open.

How do you feel about the circumstances surrounding the death of Lindsey Pearlman? What did you think about her short yet memorable role as GH's Maggie? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.