Moorpark, California — Makayla Settles came to California chasing a dream after finishing high school in North Carolina. She hoped for a fresh start living with her father and going to college. Instead she ended up in the hospital in pain, afraid, and telling her family she had been harmed by the person she trusted most.
Just two days after she arrived in Moorpark to begin college and build a new life, Makayla called her mother in distress. Family members found her weak, unable to walk on her own, and in evident physical and emotional distress. She told them her father, Stephen Vincent Chavez, had given her alcohol, assaulted her physically and sexually, and left her unable to stand or move without help.
Makayla was taken to a local hospital where doctors examined her and collected forensic evidence. Her family says DNA from the exam linked Chavez to the assault. Police arrested Chavez that very day and charged him with incest and rape. He posted a half‑million dollar bond and was released from custody.
In the months that followed, Makayla tried to rebuild her life. She completed training in a trade and made plans to work, but the weight of her trauma stayed with her. In late December, after finishing her training, she attempted to take her own life. First responders saved her and she was placed in a medically induced coma. After six days in the hospital she was declared brain dead and passed away.
Her death has left her family grappling with unanswered questions about how to seek justice in her name. Prosecutors have told the family that without her testimony in court the case may be difficult to pursue, even though she gave statements and there is forensic evidence. A court hearing scheduled in late April will determine whether charges against Chavez can move forward.
Friends, relatives and community supporters plan to gather outside the Ventura County Courthouse to urge prosecutors to keep the case alive. Those who knew Makayla describe her as a bright young woman with big dreams, taken too soon by pain that no one her age should endure.
