The mother of former child star Daveigh Chase has spoken out about her daughter's final years, describing a period marked by severe drug addiction and homelessness.

Chase, who gained fame as the voice of Lilo in Disney's *Lilo & Stitch* and as the young villain in the horror film *The Ring*, passed away at the age of 35.

Cathy Chase, Daveigh's mother, revealed that her daughter was "obviously drugged out of her mind" in the time leading up to her death.

She recounted desperately searching for Daveigh after she disappeared following multiple prison stays.

Cathy noted a significant change in her daughter during a prison visit, stating, "She was completely gone, like, out of her mind." She believes Daveigh's addiction began after a motorcycle accident in 2016, which led to painkiller dependency and subsequently other drugs.

After agreeing to return home with her mother upon release from prison, Daveigh was released a day early and left before Cathy's arrival.

"She went back to the streets and I couldn’t find her," Cathy explained.

She and another child spent considerable time searching homeless encampments across Los Angeles in vain.

Cathy expressed frustration over public perception, asserting, "It upsets me because people are saying I must’ve been a bad mother, but I never gave up on her."

Cathy finally received confirmation of her daughter's condition at the end of 2025 through a video showing Daveigh frail and emaciated in an RV on Los Angeles's Skid Row.

"She was nothing but skin and bones and I didn’t want to think that was my daughter," Cathy said of the distressing footage.

These comments align with those of Daveigh Chase's former manager, John Ryan, who stated he hadn't seen his client in a decade.

Ryan, who had previously assisted Chase with rehab, began a frantic search for her after seeing the same 2025 video.

He noted that a missing persons report was never filed because Chase left voluntarily, though he recalled her occasional arrests, such as in 2017 for riding in a stolen car.

Daveigh Chase's death was announced by her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, who told TMZ that she died shortly after being hospitalized for malnutrition.

Doctors informed Hernandez that Chase also suffered from meningitis and a blood infection, which led to septic issues.

The actress, who had not acted since 2016, also appeared as Donnie Darko's sister Samantha in the 2001 film *Donnie Darko* and had roles in TV series including *Big Love*, *Charmed*, and *ER*.