A leading HIV charity has spoken out after the official cause of death of former child star Daveigh Chase was confirmed. Daveigh, best known for voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and playing Samara in The Ring, died on June 16th aged 35, after developing meningitis and a serious blood infection that reportedly led to septic complications and organ failure. Reports that followed revealed that the star spent her final years living homeless on LA’s Skid Row, with her mum Cathy Chase confirming she developed drug addiction after she was prescribed oxycodone for a motorcycle accident in 2016 and got in with the wrong crowd. Her manager John Ryan previously told the California Post that he and Daveigh’s stepsister Gaia Brown hired a private investigator to help find her, but that she had “disappeared” before they could get her into treatment. Ryan said Daveigh had unclaimed residual cheques from her role in Lilo & Stitch amounting to “millions”, but that she was “too far gone” to collect the money, having allegedly become addicted to heroin and fentanyl. The tragic case received an update this week when the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed the cause of death to be AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), the most advanced and final stage of an HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection. HIV charity responds as Daveigh’s father speaks out Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK’s leading HIV charity, has commented on the news, saying it “shouldn’t happen” when there are treatments available. So sad that Daveigh Chase died as a result of health problems relating to late stage HIV. This shouldn't happen when we have the treatments available to live well with HIV. But lives are complicated, and accessing & staying on treatment isn't always easy.https://t.co/G9uwc3Syiq — Terrence Higgins Trust (@THTorguk) June 30, 2026 “So sad that Daveigh Chase died as a result of health problems relating to late stage HIV,” the organisation wrote on X. “This shouldn’t happen when we have the treatments available to live well with HIV. But lives are complicated, and accessing and staying on treatment isn’t always easy.” The medical examiner report also listed “chronic polysubstance use’ – the use of multiple drugs – as “other significant conditions” that contributed to her death, which it ruled as “natural”. Daveigh’s estranged father, John Schwallier, spoke to the Daily Mail about the cause of death, saying, “I’m not surprised.” He went on to say that he struggled to believe it was his daughter when he saw her body. “I was beside myself at first when I finally saw her. I thought they were hustling me at first,” he told the outlet. “She must’ve weighed 65 pounds and looked even worse than that video going around. I touched her thigh above her knee, and it was just bone.” Schwallier, whose last serious interaction with Daveigh happened when she was just three-and-a-half years old, hinted at a conflict with his ex Cathy Chase and hopes to obtain some of his daughter’s cremated remains. View this post on Instagram A post shared by John Schwallier (@johnschwallier) “I will fight her for Daveigh’s remains in Probate Court. Daveigh was emancipated, so I don’t think she will get any money. I will fight her on that,” he continued. “It’s not about the money. This was my daughter, and I didn’t get to see my daughter for years because of her [mother]. I want her remains because she belongs with me. [Chase’s mother Cathy] can keep half [of the ashes] if she wants, but that is my daughter.” Schwallier, who currently lives in the Philippines with his wife, expressed frustration about being kept away from Daveigh, saying, “I have been looking for my daughter for 13 years.” “Where was the media then? It’s tragic. I have since spoken to Daveigh’s friends, trying to get to know my daughter… If Daveigh was with me, she would not have turned out like this.” Featured image credit: GoFundMe/Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock Post navigation Next story
