Daveigh Chase’s newly released autopsy report details the 12 days she spent hospitalized before her death at 35. The actress, whose childhood roles included The Ring and Lilo & Stitch, died on June 16, 2026, after her health deteriorated during treatment.
The full report became available on November 10, according to PEOPLE. It expands on findings made public on June 29, describing the circumstances of her hospital admission and the conditions doctors documented.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified AIDS as the cause of death, with chronic polysubstance use listed as another significant condition. Her manner of death was classified as natural.
Her father, John David Schwallier, had initially attributed her death to complications involving bacterial meningitis and a bloodstream infection. The Los Angeles Times documented his account when reporting the examiner’s subsequent determination.
Chase Was Found Unwell in a Car
On June 4, Chase was found in the back seat of a vehicle, reporting a headache, weakness, confusion and pain in her right thumb. A methamphetamine pipe was nearby, according to the investigation report described by Entertainment Weekly. Paramedics transported her to Los Angeles General Medical Center.
Hospital records documented advanced, untreated HIV/AIDS with wasting, meaning substantial involuntary weight loss. They also listed cryptococcal infection without meningitis, MRSA and an infection in her right thumb.
Cryptococcosis is a fungal disease that most often affects people with weakened immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MRSA is a type of staph bacteria resistant to several antibiotics.
The report recorded positive toxicology screenings for methamphetamine and fentanyl, as Us Weekly reported after obtaining the document.
Her Family Described Years of Difficulties
Chase’s mother, Cathy, previously said her daughter’s difficulties with addiction worsened after she was prescribed pain medication for a back injury sustained in a motorcycle accident in 2016. She described that period while speaking about the actress after her death.
Former manager John Ryan Jr. had described earlier efforts to help Chase enter rehabilitation. He told Entertainment Weekly that he lost contact with her in the mid-2010s after she attended treatment programs.
Her uncle, Paul Schwallier, shared a photograph and farewell on Instagram on June 17. Calling Chase his “ultra talented” niece, he remembered the characters through which audiences had come to know her and wished her peace.
Directors Remembered the Voice Behind Lilo
On June 20, directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois honored Chase with an original illustration posted to Sanders’ Instagram account. The image recalls Lilo’s ritual of taking Pudge a sandwich because she believes he controls the weather. The directors shared the artwork without a written caption, using characters from their film to remember the actress who voiced its young heroine.
Sanders had recalled finding Chase during a 2022 interview with Hawaii Public Radio. Casting Lilo had proved difficult until she arrived and began performing at the microphone. He said he and DeBlois looked at each other and knew they had found their voice actress.
Chase’s work as Samara Morgan earned her the Best Villain award at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. She also voiced Chihiro in the English-language version of Spirited Away and played Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko.
Her later work included Rhonda Volmer in HBO’s Big Love and a return to Lilo in additional animated projects, including Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Her final film appearances were in American Romance and Jack Goes Home, both released in 2016.