Friends who had been trying to track down Daveigh Chase on the streets of downtown Los Angeles are now mourning the former child star, who died on June 16 at 35 after severe infections led to septic complications.
Chase, best known as the terrifying Samara in The Ring and the voice of Lilo in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, died after meningitis and a bloodstream infection triggered sepsis, according to public reporting. Friends and acquaintances say they had been searching for her for months after receiving what they believed was a video of her on Skid Row. Those friends told reporters they feared she had fallen to about 75 pounds and spent weeks canvassing downtown streets and local shelters but never found her.
Friends Chased A Lead On Skid Row
People close to Chase say a video of a woman believed to be her circulated among her inner circle in recent months and set off an urgent search in and around Skid Row, the dense cluster of encampments and services in downtown Los Angeles. According to those sources, friends checked tent encampments, shelters and hospitals as they followed the tip, hoping to bring her to safety, but they were unable to locate her before she became critically ill. The initial account of the search was reported by TMZ.
Hospitalization And Cause Of Death
Reports state that Chase was treated at a Los Angeles hospital after developing meningitis and a serious infection in her blood, which then produced septic complications that led to organ failure. Local coverage also notes she had been admitted earlier in June for malnutrition, which supporters say came before the infections and left her especially vulnerable. That reported timeline and the publicly described medical details were summarized by LiveNOW from FOX.
Why Skid Row Makes Locating People Difficult
Skid Row is one of the most heavily concentrated areas of unsheltered residents in the country, crowded with sidewalk encampments, makeshift structures and a patchwork of social service providers. For families and friends looking for a loved one, it can feel like searching for a needle in a maze rather than a haystack.
Public health research and county data have long shown that people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles die at significantly higher rates than housed residents, with infectious disease among the causes tracked in recent years. Watchdog reporting has also flagged holes in outreach and counting efforts that can leave people off official lists, which only adds to the difficulty when someone drops out of contact. For a deeper look at those patterns and gaps, see analysis from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and reporting from LAist.
Remembering Her Work
Chase’s career took off when she was still a kid. Horror fans know her as Samara, the ghostly girl emerging from the well in The Ring, while a different generation grew up hearing her as the spirited title character in Lilo & Stitch. She also appeared in Donnie Darko and had a recurring role on HBO’s Big Love before largely stepping back from high-profile roles. Her credits are catalogued on industry listings such as IMDb.
Friends told reporters they are “devastated” and wish they had been able to reconnect with Chase before her death, seeing her story as a harsh reminder of how quickly serious infections can overpower someone who is already fragile. Representatives for Chase and local public agencies had not immediately provided additional information as of publication. This story will be updated if official records or statements are released. The friends’ searches and their reaction were reported by TMZ.
