Rising star’s death caused by RARE bacterial infection

Charlbi Dean died of bacterial sepsis and “a complication from asplenia”.

The model-turned-actress passed away in New York City on August 29, aged 32, and her cause of death has now finally been confirmed.

A spokesperson for the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE that she died of bacterial sepsis, which was a “complication from asplenia (the absence of a spleen)“ due to “remote blunt trauma to her torso”.

Dean – who had her spleen removed after she was involved in a car accident in 2009 – was infected with a rare bacteria known as Capnocytophaga, which lives in the mouths of dogs and cats.

People who have autoimmune problems and those without spleens are especially vulnerable to the infection.

Dean was cast in this year’s satirical black comedy Triangle of Sadness opposite Woody Harrelson.

However, as the autopsy has not yet been made public, it remains unclear what caused the infection.

Earlier this year, Alex Jacobs – Dean’s brother – revealed that she began experiencing some minor symptoms, prompting her fiance, Luke Volker, to take her to the hospital.

He explained: “This happened literally within the span of a day: getting a headache, going to sleep, waking up her boyfriend and saying please take me to the hospital.”

Alex admitted that his family were baffled as to why her health deteriorated so rapidly.

He said: “We still aren’t entirely sure [what happened]. There’s an autopsy being done which we know might take quite a while. But what we have heard [that] there was a viral infection in her lungs.”

Alex also acknowledged that his sister’s death could’ve been linked to her car accident more than a decade ago.

He reflected: “[The spleen is] involved in fighting off infections, and that could have had something to do with what happened. Her spleen not being there just added on to the reason why she perhaps couldn’t fight it off.”