Daveigh Chase's cause of death was AIDS, medical examiner reports

Daveigh Chase's cause of death was AIDS, medical examiner reports

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined that actress Daveigh Chase died from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) on June 16. The former child star, known for her roles in Lilo & Stitch and The Ring, was 35 years old.

Official records from the medical examiner's office list "chronic polysubstance use" — described as the use of more than one drug or substance at the same time or within a short period — as a secondary cause of death and a "significant condition." While the case status remains "open," investigator Trini Godoy and deputy M.E. Dr. Martina Kennedy recorded the manner of death as natural. The report did not specify which drugs contributed to her death.

These findings contrast with earlier accounts provided by those close to Chase. Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, previously told TMZ that Chase died from sepsis resulting from an infection in her blood and meningitis. Her father, John David Schwallier, told the New York Times and NBC News that she died of complications from bacterial meningitis and a blood infection.

The medical examiner's diagnosis of AIDS, the most advanced stage of HIV infection, provides a clinical context for these complications. According to the Mayo Clinic, individuals with AIDS are more likely to suffer from infections that a working immune system would typically control.

A Descent into Hardship

The years preceding her death were marked by severe instability. John Schwallier told the New York Times that his daughter had been homeless and was in a "destitute" state near the hospital where she died. He further noted that Chase had struggled with drug addiction since she was 13.

Chase's mother told the Daily Mail that substance abuse issues began after a motorcycle accident in 2016, which led to prescriptions for oxycodone and other painkillers. "She was seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people," she said, adding that Chase's desire for freedom led her to people who got her hooked on drugs.

Other reports indicate Chase had several legal brushes, including charges of joyriding in a stolen car and drug possession. In 2017, she was questioned regarding the death of a man found outside a Los Angeles hospital. Earlier in June 2026, she had been hospitalized for malnutrition.

Career Breakthroughs and Public Retreat

Born in Las Vegas in 1990, Chase became one of the most accomplished child actors of the early 2000s. At age 10, she appeared in the 2001 film Donnie Darko as the younger sister of the lead character. That same year, she provided the voice for Chihiro in the English dub of Spirited Away.

The year 2002 served as her breakthrough, during which she voiced Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch and played the ghostly Samara Morgan in The Ring. To play Samara, Chase told The Times in 2002 that she took her natural voice and put this freaky twist on it, a performance that won her the 2003 MTV Movie Award for best villain.

Her early résumé also included roles in television series such as ER, Charmed, The Practice, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as an appearance on HBO's Big Love. However, she largely stepped away from the public eye after the mid-2010s; her last red carpet appearance was in 2013, and she last posted to Instagram in 2017.

Fundraising Controversy

Following her death, a dispute emerged over a GoFundMe page created by Roy Hernandez. Hernandez wrote that funds would provide Chase with a sense of home and peace in her final days and later pay for a memorial. He claimed Chase had suffered a painful falling out with her family and had been bullied while struggling in downtown Los Angeles.

The fundraiser was publicly questioned by Chase's former manager, John Ryan. Ryan stated that neither close friends nor family knew who Hernandez was and urged fans not to donate, asserting that Chase had a SAG trust account with sufficient funds to cover medical expenses.

Hernandez denied that the fundraiser was illegitimate, calling such suggestions 100 per cent false. There has been no reported confirmation from Chase's family authorizing the campaign, nor a statement from GoFundMe regarding the status of the fundraiser.