Mother Daveigh Chase tells the painful reality of loving a child lost to drug addiction.
Katie Chase spoke candidly about the years of fear that preceded her daughter's death. Her words lift the curtain on the struggle that many families endure in silence.
Daveigh Chase, beloved for her roles in "Lilo & Stitch" and "The Ring," died this week at the age of 35. Her mother's public grief reflects a grief that had been brewing for years.
Daveigh Chase's mom recalls the incident that started her descent into disaster.
Katie Chase said she quietly prepared for her daughter's death for years. "I was devastated. It felt like something inside me was squeezing out all the air," she said.
She described how, upon hearing the news, she ran into the backyard and screamed in disbelief. "It hurt so much, but I hope she heard me," she said. Katie added that the moment was both crushing and strangely liberating, as the fear she'd silently carried for years was finally confirmed.
Katie told The Daily Mail that her daughter's addiction began after a motorcycle accident in 2016, which left her dependent on painkillers. She said the injury marked the beginning of a years-long decline. What began as a way to cope with physical pain gradually escalated into something far more harmful.
She recalled noticing the first signs of change soon after the accident, describing a gradual shift in her daughter's behavior and social circle. Looking back, Katie said it became clear: these early warning signs were the beginning of a much longer struggle.
Katie Chase's final, horrific encounter with her daughter.
Katie's last face-to-face encounter with her daughter was in October 2019, when she visited her in prison after two burglary convictions. What she saw shocked her.
«"She was completely out of her mind, like she'd lost her mind. I honestly thought something was wrong with her," Katie recalled. She said her daughter had never been diagnosed with any mental health issues other than post-traumatic stress disorder.
«"But the drugs got the better of her," she added. They haven't spoken since, and a distance has formed between them for years before the final loss. Katie said that all these years she maintained hope that her daughter would eventually return home.
Despite her silence, she never stopped thinking about her daughter and wondering where she was. This uncertainty, she says, became one of the hardest aspects of the years that followed.
Daveigh Chase's mother searched for her daughter until the very end.
Hours before her daughter's death was publicly confirmed, Katie already sensed something was wrong. The Blast reported that she scoured online forums and news sites every night, hoping to find any trace of her daughter.
«"I was looking through their list of unidentified bodies. It was really tough, but as a mother, you do the best you can," Katie said, describing checking the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office website.
Davey first rose to fame as a child, appearing in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and ER, then voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and playing Samara in The Ring. Her early success contrasted sharply with her later years.
Friends frantically searched the Skid Row area before her death was confirmed.
Katie wasn't alone in her search. The Blast reported that friends of the actress also combed Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood several days before her death was officially confirmed.
Davey reportedly lived in the area, struggling with homelessness and continuing to struggle with drug addiction. Her disappearance in the final weeks of her life caused increasing concern among her loved ones.
Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, eventually confirmed her death to TMZ, reporting that she died in the hospital after battling meningitis and a blood infection that led to sepsis.
Questions arise about Daveigh Chase's later years and his unclaimed estate.
As the circumstances of Davey's death gained public attention, new questions arose about the former child star's financial situation and her final years.
Davey's longtime manager claimed she had significant unclaimed earnings from her acting career, including royalties and royalties from the film "Lilo & Stitch" and other projects.
Questions also arose regarding the GoFundMe campaign launched after her death. Her former manager questioned the legality of the fundraiser, insisting that Davey's heirs already had the resources to cover funeral expenses and urging supporters not to donate.
Reports of unclaimed earnings, concerns about her well-being before her death, and a growing dispute over who should speak on her behalf leave one unresolved question: How did a former child star reportedly owed millions end up in such heartbreaking circumstances in her final years?
Read also: Former child star Daveigh Chase has been captured on horrific video of herself living in a slum area in dire straits just months before her death.