Authorities have determined Daveigh Chase’s cause of death.
The Ring star, who died on June 16 at age 35, died from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Chronic polysubstance use, which refers to the use of multiple drugs over a short period, was also cited in the report as a contributing factor. Her manner of death was listed as natural.
Chase first became famous as a preteen, playing Samantha Darko in the 2001 film Donnie Darko before voicing Lilo in the 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch. She is also best known for her role as Samara Morgan, the vengeful spirit in the 2002 film The Ring.
Right before her death, the star was sick with meningitis and a blood infection, which, according to her boyfriend Roy Hernandez, “caused her to have septic issues and led to her body shutting down,” as he revealed to TMZ following her death.
Chase was reportedly admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles earlier this month to seek treatment for malnutrition.
Hernandez created a GoFundMe after Chase became “critical,” according to the crowdfunding site, which stated, “She may not have much time left.”
“Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from Lilo & Stitch, Spirited Away, and Donnie Darko. But behind the scenes, she’s faced more than her share of hardship,” he wrote in the campaign.
“After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown LA,” he added, explaining that together they “found moments of happiness and hope.”
Her father, John David Schwallier, 61, confirmed to the New York Times that the two hadn’t spoken since she had a falling out with her family at 19, after years of drug abuse that began when she was just 13.
Schwallier told reporters that he knew Chase had been homeless in Los Angeles with Hernandez, and described their living conditions as “destitute.”
“All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy,” Hernandez added in the GoFundMe, citing the need for funds to give her a “sense of home and peace in her final days.”
Her former manager, John Ryan Jr., said that private investigators had been searching for the former child star for the last few years. He advised people not to donate to the GoFundMe started by the late actress’s boyfriend and to report the page.
“Daveigh’s estate has plenty of means to pay for the cremation,” Ryan told Deadline.
“This man making these claims brought her into the hospital in terrible condition and didn’t let any of the family know until she passed so he can control the dialogue.”
