Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter E’dena Hines, 33, whose grandmother was the actor’s first wife, was stabbed to death early Sunday morning in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that, when they arrived at W. 162nd St. near St. Nicholas Avenue, police found a man standing over her body, screaming. Hines was taken to Harlem Hospital. There, she was pronounced dead.

The New York Daily News reports that the man found standing over Hines body was her current boyfriend, and the Post reported that he was her ex-boyfriend. He was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. The knife used to stab her was recovered at the scene.

In 2012, Freeman and Hines issued a statements denying the veracity of rumors that they were romantically involved. (The two are not related by blood.) “These stories about me and my grandfather are not only untrue, they are also hurtful to me and my family,” Hines said.

“The recent reports of any pending marriage or romantic relationship of me to anyone are defamatory fabrications from the tabloid media designed to sell papers,” Freeman said at the time. “What is even more alarming is that these fabrications are now being picked up by the legitimate press as well.”

In a statement on Sunday, Freeman mourned Hines loss. “The world will never know her artistry and talent, and how much she had to offer,” he said in a statement. “Her friends and family were fortunate enough to have known what she meant as a person. Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.”

Photo credit: Getty Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.