Former child star Skye McCole Bartusiak died following an accidental drug overdose, an autopsy has confirmed.

The actress, who played Mel Gibson's movie daughter in The Patriot, died in July (14), aged just 21.

Bartusiak suffered from epileptic seizures as a baby and experienced an attack a week before her death, but a report from Texas' Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences concludes she passed away from combined toxic effects of pain medications and muscle relaxers including Vicodin, according to Tmz.com.

She is the second member of The Patriot cast to lose her life to an accidental drug overdose - Heath Ledger, who portrayed the brother of MCCole Bartusiak's character in the film, died on 22 January, 2008.