The actress is “incredibly sorry” for family's loss

Jul 31, 2014 12:49 GMT  ·  By

Yesterday it was announced that a woman believed to be Drew Barrymore's half-sister was found dead in her car on a driveway in California. Today, the actress has made a statement confirming that Jessica Barrymore was indeed related to her.

Hours after the police announced the death of the woman, Drew came out with a statement, sending her condolences to the family and revealing that she and Jessica had only met once in their life, “Although I only met her briefly, I wish her and her loved ones as much peace as possible and I’m so incredibly sorry for their loss.”

Initial evidence points to a drug overdose, as the front seat of the car she was found in was full of prescription pills, but the police are now trying to determine if it was accidental or it was suicide.

Drew Barrymore herself had battled similar problems, having had issues with drug and alcohol addiction. For this reason she is in a better position to understand what her half-sister was going through at the time of her death.

Drew and Jessica are two of the five children fathered by actor John Barrymore Jr. He was part of the Barrymore acting dynasty that was made famous by Drew's grandfather, John, and his two siblings, Lionel and Ethel.

The Barrymores are considered to be one of Hollywood's longest-running actor families, but one that has also become notorious for their addictions and scandals. For example, Drew Barrymore, who was famous since age 9, began smoking from an early age and was doing drugs by 13.

Drew and Jessica's brother, John, spoke with NY Daily News, and in his opinion, Jessica's death was due to an accidental overdose, “It looks like it was a drug misadventure. Mixing alcohol and pills. I seriously doubt she took her own life.”

He was also the one who disclosed that Jessica was feeling depressed because her mother was very ill and this might have driven her to mix pills and alcohol. “She visited her mom the day before, and her mom is almost gone. It was hard for her to see her. I doubt she tried to kill herself, though . . . I predict it will be that — mixing booze and pills and taking too many,” John told the paper.

The brother confirmed that Jessica and Drew had only met once in their lives, right before their father's funeral in 2004.