Actress Daveigh Chase’s cause of death has been revealed, two weeks after she died aged just 35. Above, in 2012

Chase found fame as a child star and played Samara Morgan in the 2002 film The Ring

Chase found fame as a child star in 2002 with her haunting portrayal of Samara Morgan in The Ring.

She later appeared in a number of film and television projects including Lilo & Stitch, Donnie Darko, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, ER, and Big Love.

She gradually stepped back from the public eye after 2013, with her final social media activity in 2017 and her last red carpet appearance at a Vogue dinner in April 2013.

Over the following years, she had several reported run-ins with the law, including an arrest in 2017 in Los Angeles in connection with joyriding in a stolen vehicle.

Her partner describes a bitter feud with her family, and a desperate fight for them to get off the streets.

In a tragic premonition of her own death, she was questioned in 2017 after dropping an unconscious man off outside a hospital and driving away. He later died of a drug overdose.

Hernandez, Chase’s partner, said the pair were homeless in the years before her death.

In one of his fundraisers, her partner pleaded: ‘Daveigh Chase, my girlfriend, has always been a light in my life… But behind the scenes, she’s faced more than her share of hardship.’

‘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. When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved.

Chase had developed sepsis from meningitis before her death, her boyfriend said earlier this month. Above, the actress in 2012

Chase died in hospital from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) – the most advanced stage of HIV infection, on June 16, per the LA County Medical Examiner. Above, the star in 2013

‘Together, we found moments of happiness and hope.’

He continued: ‘Recently, everything changed. Daveigh was diagnosed with meningitis and several serious blood infections.

‘Her condition has become critical, and the doctors have told me she may not have much time left. All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe, and be happy.

‘Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days.

‘I understand we all go through things, but if you can help, I will be really grateful for anything.’

Prior to her death, Chase had reportedly been out of contact for an extended period, prompting concern from her manager John Ryan and her stepsister Gaia Brown, who had been attempting to locate her for several years.

Daveigh became a promising child actress in the early 2000s. Her big break came in 2002, when she was just 11, voicing Lilo in Disney’s animated movie Lilo & Stitch

Speaking to the California Post, Ryan said their search eventually led them to the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, where he believed Chase may have been staying.

He added that he had previously managed to speak with her by phone and arranged to meet her in person.

Ryan said the initial plan had been to support Chase in regaining her health, with arrangements being explored for possible rehabilitation support in Costa Rica once she was well enough to travel.

However, he said the situation changed by the time they arrived, claiming she could not be located.

‘We were so close to finding her,’ he said. ‘Daveigh was the sweetest and brightest light in Hollywood. I can’t believe this is real. Her legacy and work will live on forever.’