The Ring star Daveigh Chase’s death certificate reveals ashes were released to her mother after parents’ bitter split … following her shocking AIDS death at 35
The cremated remains of late actress Daveigh Chase were released to her mother Cathy Chase in the wake of The Ring star’s tragic death at 35 last month, and her father says he wants half of the ashes.
New details in the sad story surrounding the one-time child star come weeks after the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said Chase’s cause of death was as result of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and ‘chronic polysubstance abuse.’
Chase’s father John Schwallier, speaking to the Daily Mail Monday from his home in the Philippines, said he planned on taking legal measures to take partial ownership of his late daughter’s ashes following her June 16 passing.
‘I will fight her for Daveigh’s remains in Probate Court,’ Schwallier said in a phone interview. ‘I want her remains because she belongs with me.’
Schwallier said that Cathy ‘can keep half [of the ashes] if she wants, but that is my daughter.’
The Daily Mail on Monday reached out to Cathy Chase and her legal representatives for further comment on the story, but have yet to hear back.
The cremated remains of late actress Daveigh Chase were released to her mother Cathy Chase in the wake of The Ring star’s tragic death at 35 last month, and her father says he wants half of the ashes
Schwallier also commented on reports that Cathy Chase had petitioned to be the estate’s administrator in papers filed July 8 in Los Angeles Superior Court, noting that her late daughter had $400,000 in assets at the time of her death.
‘Daveigh was emancipated, so I don’t think she will get any money,’ Schwallier told the Daily Mail Monday. ‘I will fight her on that. It’s not about the money. This was my daughter, and I didn’t get to see my daughter for years because of her [mother].’
He signaled a growing conflict with his ex, despite decades apart: ‘If Daveigh was with me, she would not have turned out like this.’
Schwallier detailed the family conflicts that had afflicted her, noting that the child star had been emancipated from her mother at the age of 16.
Because of that, he predicted a potential battle down the road over whatever money from residual payments that his daughter might have earned over the years but never collected.
Schwallier, who claimed that he was kept away from his daughter for much of her childhood, said one of his last serious conversations with her occurred when she was just three-and-a-half years old.
‘I would keep calling and leave messages, but no one would call me back,’ Schwallier said of his attempts to reconnect with Chase as a child.
He said he was living in Las Vegas and she was living with her mother in Oregon.
Chase’s father John Schwallier, speaking to the Daily Mail Monday from his home in the Philippines, said he planned on taking legal measures to take partial ownership of his late daughter’s ashes following her June 16 passing
Schwallier signaled a growing conflict with his ex, Cathy Chase, despite their decades apart. ‘If Daveigh was with me, she would not have turned out like this,’ he claimed; Chase is pictured as a child with her mother
‘I paid Cathy every penny to take care of Daveigh, but she kept her from me,’ Schwallier told the Daily Mail.
Cathy said in the filing that Daveigh was ‘unhoused but passed in Los Angeles County,’ with her most recent known address in Chatsworth, California.
In her petition, Cathy said that Daveigh died without a spouse or children, and was survived by both of her parents.
In her court filing, Cathy said that she did not have a specific address to reach Daveigh’s father Schwallier, as she’s ‘informed and believes’ that he resides in the Philippines and owns property in Las Vegas.
She added the address of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles to the legal filing. A hearing in the matter is slated for August 12 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Cathy Chase in June told the Daily Mail about the harrowing moments she experienced upon learning of her daughter’s death via online news alerts.
‘I was devastated,’ Cathy said. ‘It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, it felt like I was exploding outwardly.’
She continued, ‘I let out this guttural scream and I just was running. And these weird sounds were coming out of me, these kind of, like, primeval sounds.
Chase had an estate valued at $400,000, according to a court filing from her mother
Schwallier said he would fight his ex-wife for part of Chase’s remains. ‘I want her remains because she belongs with me. [Chase’s mother Cathy] can keep half [of the ashes] if she wants, but that is my daughter,’ he said; Chase is pictured in 2012 in West Hollywood
Schwallier claimed his ex-wife Cathy (pictured) had kept him away from Chase as a child
‘And I went out into the backyard, and I was screaming, “No, no, no, no!” I am in so much pain but I hope her soul heard me.’
Cathy told the Daily Mail she had said a prayer for her late daughter when she identified her at a Los Angeles hospital early June 18.
She said a chaplain joined her as they ‘were able to lay hands and pray.
Cathy added, ‘We were able to lay hands and pray. Technically, we were touching the glass, but it’s as close as we could get, so we were able to lay hands and pray for her.
‘It was a beautiful experience, and, I feel very blessed to have been able to share that with my daughter.’
Chase was best known for her work in films such as The Ring and Lilo Stitch, both of which had been released in 2002. The Las Vegas-born actress had previously appeared in the 2001 film Donnie Darko and 2003 series Oliver Beene.
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