Full Breakdown
Daveigh Chase’s Death: Details of a Former Child Star’s Final Years
6/20/2026, 10:58:37 AM
Death and Immediate Circumstances
Daveigh Chase, 35, died on June 17, 2026, at a Los Angeles hospital after bacterial meningitis and a blood infection caused sepsis. She had been hospitalized earlier in June for malnutrition and was living near Skid Row with boyfriend Roy Hernandez.
Early Career and Later Struggles
Chase voiced Lilo in Disney’s 2002 *Lilo & Stitch* and Samara Morgan in *The Ring*, earning an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain. She also voiced Chihiro in the English version of *Spirited Away* and appeared in *Donnie Darko*, *Big Love*, and *Oliver Beene*. Her father, John David Schwallier, said she had used drugs since age 13. According to her mother, Cathy Chase, a 2016 motorcycle accident led to prescription painkiller use, after which she “started seeking drugs and partying with the wrong people.”
Official Statements from Family and Associates
John David Schwallier told *The New York Times* that his daughter had been homeless in Los Angeles and died from meningitis and a blood infection. Cathy Chase said she was “devastated,” described nightly searches of online forums and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s system, and identified her daughter’s body on Thursday, praying with a chaplain and “touching the glass.” Roy Hernandez told TMZ that any GoFundMe proceeds would fund a “proper memorial.” John Ryan Jr. said a SAG trust account existed to cover medical costs and that he had tried to locate Chase before her hospitalization for malnutrition.
Criticism of Fundraising Effort
John Ryan Jr. questioned the legitimacy of Hernandez’s GoFundMe, noting that no friends or family recognized the boyfriend and that the campaign was set up “on her and her family’s behalf.” Some online commentators suggested Cathy Chase’s remarks implied parental neglect; she rejected that claim, emphasizing she “never kicked my daughter out” and “never gave up on her.”
Conflicting Accounts and Unfilled Gaps
Sources differ on whether a formal missing-persons report was filed; Ryan Jr. said none was filed because Chase left voluntarily, while other reports describe her as “missing for ten years.” Cathy Chase’s last in-person contact was a jail visit in October 2019, yet Ryan Jr. cited a video of her on Skid Row months before her death. All sources agree on the medical cause of death.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was devastated.” — Cathy Chase, Mother
- “Chase’s father, John David Schwallier, confirmed toThe New York Timesshe died from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection.” — John David Schwallier, Father
- “apparently, a man claiming to be her ‘boyfriend’ that none of us friends or her family has heard of has set up a GoFundMe on ‘her and her families behalf’ that he set her up as the organizer.” — John Ryan Jr., Former Manager
- “We were able to lay hands and pray.” — Cathy Chase, Mother
What’s Next
John Ryan Jr. is completing the documentary *Finding Lilo*, which will shift from locating Chase to celebrating her life.
