\n Robert De Niro attends the \u2018Mixtape\u2019 film premiere on April 7, 2022 in New York City.<\/span> Photo Image Press\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A suspect was arrested in connection to the suspected overdose of Robert De Niro<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.<\/p>\n Law enforcement sources told both NBC News<\/a> and ABC News<\/a> on Friday, July 14, that 20-year-old Sofia Haley Marks<\/strong> allegedly sold drugs to Leandro prior to his death earlier this month. The outlets reported that Marks is in police custody in New York City on federal drug distribution charges.<\/p>\n An investigation into Leandro\u2019s death is ongoing, though his mother, Drena De Niro<\/strong><\/a>, previously claimed it was drug-related<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone sold him fentanyl-laced pills that they knew were laced yet still sold them to him so for all these people still f\u2014king around selling and buying this s\u2014t, my son is gone forever\u00a0\ud83d\ude2d<\/span>,\u201d Drena, 51, wrote via Instagram on July 4.<\/p>\n According to authorities in NYC, Leandro, who was an aspiring actor, had been found dead<\/a> at a building in lower Manhattan.<\/p>\n Drena \u2014 who is the daughter<\/a> of the actor, 79, and Diahnne Abbott<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 confirmed her son\u2019s passing two days prior<\/a>. Leandro was 19.<\/p>\n \u201cMy beautiful sweet angel. I have loved you beyond words or description from the moment I felt you in my belly. You have been my joy my heart and all that was ever pure and real in my life,\u201d Drena, who shared Leandro with\u00a0artist Carlos Rodriguez<\/strong>, wrote via\u00a0Instagram\u00a0on July 2. \u201cI wish I was with you right now. I wish I was with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez, for his part, replied to her Instagram comments at the time. \u201cMy dear Drena\u2026 words aren\u2019t enough to express the joy he gave us or the loss we now endure with our families and friends,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHe is Godschild now.\u00a0\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffc<\/span>\u00a0On this full moon his spirit luminates what could not be seen in the dark. You can\u2019t spell LOVE without LEO\u00a0\ud83d\udc7c\ud83d\udc94\ud83d\udc94<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez later penned his own heartbreaking tribute to his late son.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you knew him you would know.\u00a0\u2665\ufe0f\ud83d\udc94<\/span>\u00a0Our families and friends will grieve but never forget him,\u201d he wrote via\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>on July 5. \u201cLeo was a passionate young man, he loved his family and friends, he was loved his life [sic] and was curious about the world. Leo was a prolific and talented high-level programmer who wanted to find a purposeful use with his talents beyond the social media calamity he didn\u2019t care for. Like his parents he loved art and artists, he was comfortable in this tribe.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Suspect](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Suspect-Arrested-in-Connection-to-Robert-De-Niro-Grandson-Leandro-Death-2.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez<\/span> Courtesy of Drena De Niro\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n