Daveigh Chase Autopsy Details Final Illness and Drug Use

Chase, known for roles in Lilo & Stitch and The Ring, was found in a vehicle on June 4 with a meth pipe nearby. She had reported a headache, weakness, mental disorientation, and soreness in her right thumb before a bystander called 911. Paramedics took her to a Los Angeles hospital.

The autopsy described advanced, untreated HIV/AIDS, several infections and a right-thumb infection. Toxicology tests detected methamphetamine and fentanyl. Her health worsened during her hospitalization, and she died on June 16, aged 35. The medical examiner listed AIDS as the cause of death and chronic polysubstance use as a contributing factor.

Chase’s mother, Cathy, said her daughter’s difficulties escalated after a motorcycle accident around 2016 left her with a back injury. Cathy said Chase was prescribed oxycodone and later developed problems with drug use. She described trying to find her daughter after Chase returned to the streets following a jail release, and said she had hoped Chase would come home.

Chase’s longtime manager, John Ryan, previously discouraged donations to a fundraiser created by a man who described himself as her boyfriend. Ryan said Chase had a trust account through SAG to cover expenses and that friends and family did not know the man. He also said he and Chase’s stepsister had tried to locate and help her, but lost contact after speaking with her by phone.