Before The Ring Star's Death, Friends Searched Skid Row in Desperation

The final months of actress Daveigh Chase’s life tell a story of a community trying to save someone they loved—but running out of time before tragedy struck. According to sources close to the actress, her inner circle had been searching for her for years after she disappeared amid personal struggles. But it wasn’t until a few months before her death that they caught what they thought might be a real lead.

Friends received a video they believed showed Chase living on Skid Row, the homeless encampment area in downtown Los Angeles. What they saw alarmed them deeply. Sources say they believed she had dropped to as little as 75 pounds. Desperate to help, they made their way to the area, hoping to locate her and bring her back into their lives. But when they arrived, she was already gone—moved on to another location, or deeper into survival mode.

The search didn’t stop there. In the weeks that followed, friends continued canvassing downtown Los Angeles, piecing together rumors and leads, hoping to find her before it was too late. But Chase remained elusive, lost in the sprawl of the city. On Tuesday, she died at a Los Angeles hospital from meningitis and a blood infection—conditions that thrive in the vulnerable, the unhoused, the unseen.

Chase was best known for her chilling role as Samara Morgan in the 2002 horror film“The Ring”and for voicing Lilo in Disney’s animated film“Lilo&Stitch.”She’d given joy to millions of viewers, but somewhere along the way, the system—and perhaps the people around her—lost her. Now, the people who cared about her are left with the ache of what-ifs. They wish they’d found her sooner. They wish they’d been able to reconnect before it was too late.