After Effects Error: missing data in file. (33::4) in After effects 2020

I'm having an issue with an Adobe After Effects 2020 project file, and I'm hoping someone here might be able to help.

When I try to open my .aep file, in 2020 I get this error message:

"After Effects error: missing data in file."

When I try to open my .aep file, in 2019 I get this error message:

"Unable to execute script at line 41. After Effects error: missing data in file."

I'm unable to even open the file to see what might be wrong, which makes it challenging to troubleshoot. I’m not sure if the problem is due to a corrupt file, missing assets, or an issue with the script I'm using.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

1. Import Instead of Open: Tried to import the project into a new After Effects project, but it still won't work.
2. Cleared Cache and Preferences: Cleared cache and tried resetting preferences by holding down Shift + Alt + Ctrl during launch. No luck.
3. Auto-Save Versions: Looked for any usable auto-saved versions, but unfortunately, they're not recent enough.
4. Tried on a Different Version: Tried opening it in both an older and newer version of After Effects, but the same error occurs.

I’m really stuck, and I don’t want to lose the work I’ve put into this project. If anyone has any suggestions for how I might be able to fix or recover the file, I’d really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

PC Specifications:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 8-Core Processor
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
• RAM: 32 GB