Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter stabbed to death in New York City

Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter E'Dena Hines was stabbed to death in New York City early Sunday morning, Gossip Cop has confirmed with the New York Police Department. What led to the stabbing remains unclear right now, but we’re told Hines was stabbed multiple times in the torso by a 30-year-old man, who has since been arrested.

Police quickly responded to a 911 call shortly before 3 a.m., and when they arrived at the scene in the Washington Heights section of New York City, they found Hines bleeding on the street. She was immediately rushed to Harlem Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. As Gossip Cop noted, the suspect, whose name is being withheld, was arrested at the scene.

In a statement to Gossip Cop, Freeman says, “The world will never know her artistry in talent, and how much she had to offer. 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.”

Hines is pictured with Freeman at the 2005 Golden Globe awards. In 2012, Gossip Cop exclusively debunked reports that falsely alleged Freeman was going to marry Hines. The actor also vehemently denied claims he was romantically involved with her, calling the rumors “defamatory fabrications.” Hines, the granddaughter of Morgan’s first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw, told Gossip Cop at the time that the rumors were “hurtful.”