Remember the little girl who came crawling out of a television screen in The Ring? That terrifying character was played by Daveigh Chase, an actress who was only 12 when the horror movie became a hit. The same young performer also gave her voice to Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. Two very different characters, but both became part of movies that people still remember today.
Now, Daveigh is back in the news for a heartbreaking reason. A newly released medical examiner’s report, reported on November 10, 2026, has revealed more about what happened during the final days of her life. She died on June 16 at just 35 years old, but the details surrounding her final hospitalization have only recently become public.
According to the report, she was taken to Los Angeles General Medical Center on June 4 after being found in the back seat of a vehicle. She was experiencing weakness, confusion, headaches and pain in her right thumb. A methamphetamine pipe was reportedly found nearby.
Doctors discovered that she had advanced, untreated HIV/AIDS, severe weight loss and multiple infections, including cryptococcal infection and MRSA. Toxicology testing also detected methamphetamine and fentanyl. Her condition continued to deteriorate during her hospital stay.
The medical examiner ultimately listed AIDS as the cause of death, with chronic polysubstance use as an additional significant condition. Her death was classified as natural. These findings provide a clearer medical explanation than the initial reports shared by her family shortly after she died. [Source: USA Today, November 10, 2026; Entertainment Weekly, November 10, 2026; Associated Press.]
The Actress Who Played Both Lilo and Samara
It’s quite unusual for an actor to become associated with two characters who are almost complete opposites. That’s exactly what happened with Daveigh Chase in 2002.
She voiced Lilo Pelekai in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, a young Hawaiian girl who is a little different from the other children around her. Lilo is funny, stubborn and sometimes difficult to understand, but there’s also a lonely side to her character. Daveigh’s voice performance gave her that personality without making her feel like a typical animated child.
Then came The Ring. Released in the same year, the horror film introduced audiences to Samara Morgan, the mysterious girl associated with a cursed videotape. Her long black hair, white dress and disturbing movements made her one of the most recognizable horror characters of the early 2000s.
It’s easy to forget that the same actress was behind both performances. She could make audiences smile as Lilo and then leave them genuinely uncomfortable as Samara. Her work in The Ring even earned her the Best Villain award at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.
She Was Already Working in Hollywood Before Those Movies
Daveigh Chase was born on July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and grew up in Albany, Oregon. She became interested in performing when she was very young. Singing and dancing were already part of her childhood, and she started appearing in commercials at around seven.
One of her early opportunities came through the musical Utah!, in which she landed a starring role as a child. Television work followed, including an appearance in Sabrina the Teenage Witch in 1998. She later appeared in shows such as Charmed, ER, The Practice and Touched by an Angel.
These weren’t the roles that would eventually make her famous, but they helped her build experience in front of the camera. By the time she reached her early teens, she was already working on projects that would become some of the most recognizable films of that period.
Donnie Darko and Spirited Away Were Also Part of Her Career
Before audiences saw her as Samara, Chase appeared in the 2001 psychological film Donnie Darko. She played Samantha Darko, the younger sister of Jake Gyllenhaal’s title character. The film wasn’t an immediate mainstream blockbuster, but it gradually developed a loyal following and became a cult favorite.
She also voiced Chihiro in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. That’s another interesting part of her career because she was involved in two very different animated worlds: Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and Studio Ghibli’s celebrated fantasy film.
And then there was Big Love.
From 2006 to 2011, Daveigh played Rhonda Volmer in the HBO drama. This was a much different character from the ones audiences had known her for as a child. Rhonda was a complicated teenager involved in the show’s unusual family and religious dynamics. The series gave her a chance to take on a more mature acting role.
What Happened to Daveigh Chase After The Ring?
This is probably the question many people have been asking since her death became news.
After the success of her childhood projects and her work on Big Love, Daveigh gradually stepped away from mainstream acting. She continued appearing in smaller productions, including S. Darko, Little Red Wagon and American Romance. Her later credits also included the video game Let It Die.
But she wasn’t appearing at premieres or giving regular interviews anymore. The public rarely heard from her, and the actress who had once been everywhere in early 2000s entertainment slowly disappeared from the spotlight.
Her personal life was also becoming increasingly difficult. Her father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times after her death that she had struggled with drug addiction from a young age and had experienced homelessness.
Her mother, Cathy Chase, gave a different account of how those problems developed. In an interview with the Daily Mail, she said Daveigh’s difficulties became worse after she was prescribed pain medication following a motorcycle accident in 2016. These are accounts from her parents, and their relationship with Daveigh was complicated, so their statements should be understood in that context.
Her Death Also Led to a Dispute Over Her Estate
There was another development after Daveigh’s death that brought attention to her family situation.
According to the Los Angeles Times, legal documents filed in July 2026 indicated that she had left behind approximately $400,000 in personal property. Her mother, Cathy Chase, requested to become the administrator of the estate.
Her father, John Schwallier, opposed that request and supported appointing a neutral professional fiduciary instead. Daveigh’s former friend and business manager, John Ryan, also filed objections to her mother’s appointment. The disagreement brought up older allegations about family finances and Daveigh’s relationship with her parents.
These were claims made in court filings, not established findings about wrongdoing. The legal dispute also showed that her family relationships had remained complicated for years before her death.
Daveigh Chase’s Story Is More Than Just a Horror Movie Memory
When people talk about Daveigh Chase, they usually mention Samara from The Ring first. Others remember her as the voice of Lilo, the little girl who gave Stitch a home. Both characters helped make her a familiar name, even for viewers who may not have followed her later acting career.
But there’s a sad contrast between the success she experienced so early and the difficulties that followed. She had worked with major studios, appeared in well-known films and earned recognition while she was still very young. Yet her later years were far removed from the Hollywood attention she once received.
The latest medical examiner’s report has brought more answers about her death, but it has also reminded people of the actress behind those memorable performances. For fans who grew up watching Lilo & Stitch or being frightened by The Ring, Daveigh Chase will remain a familiar face and voice from a very particular era of movies.
