The tragic death of former child star Daveigh Chase continues to leave fans baffled, and now her mother is opening up about the painful reality she says she has been living with for years.
According to an interview published late Friday, Cathy Chase revealed that when she first heard that reports of her daughter’s death had surfaced days ago, she initially struggled to believe what she was seeing.
The actress, known for her voice Lilo in Lilo & Stitch and for her memorable role as Samara in The ring, died earlier this week at the age of 35. Family members have since revealed that she apparently died of meningitis after years of personal struggles, including reportedly drug addiction and homelessness.
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Speak with DailyMail.com about the moment she realized those first death reports were real, Cathy said:
“I actually thought it was fake news the first time I saw it, and then, but then all of a sudden, all these different legitimate sites had her name and I realized it wasn’t fake.”
The heartbreaking revelation didn’t end there. Cathy told me DM that she had been afraid for years that she would eventually receive it terrible news about her daughter.
She explained that after losing contact with Daveigh some time ago, she developed a painful routine of searching for information about her whereabouts:
“I would just put her name into the coroner’s search system and see if her name came up and if anyone had her somewhere. I would look at their list of unidentified bodies. It was very difficult, but as a mother you do everything you can.”
According to Cathy’s story, Daveigh’s problems increased after a motorcycle accident around 2016. Cathy believes that the pain medication prescribed after the injury may have contributed to the addiction problems that followed:
“She was looking for drugs and partying with the wrong people. I never kicked my daughter out. She wanted freedom and these people got her hooked on drugs. That was the beginning.”
Cathy also pushed back against the criticism she says she faces confronted with the death of her daughter. She insisted that she never stopped trying to help and never abandoned her child, even as circumstances became increasingly difficult.
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Thinking about the last time she saw Daveigh in 2019 after one of her prison releasesCathy said:
“She had gone completely crazy. I really thought there was something wrong with her.”
She continued:
“My daughter has never been diagnosed with any mental health condition other than PTSD. But the drugs have taken hold of her. It upsets me because people say I must have been a bad mother, but I never gave up on her. As a mother, you don’t give up on your child. I was hoping she would still come home.”
The emotional interview comes after footage showed Chase appearing seriously unwell while living in a tent on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Cathy described that video as very disturbing to watch:
“In the video, she was in really bad shape. She was very weak. She was vulnerable. She said no and tried to push the camera away, and they shoved it in her face. It was gross. She had clearly gone crazy. She was nothing but skin and bones and I didn’t want to think that was my daughter.”
So, so sad…
This entire situation is heartbreaking from every angle. We don’t even know what else to say.
Our thoughts remain with everyone who loved Daveigh.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA offers https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org.
(Image via MEGA/WENN)
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