The relatives of an 18-year-old woman who died by suicide after she was allegedly raped by her biological father are concerned the case against him will be dismissed, because she can no longer testify against him.<\/p>\n
“The DA was essentially saying, \u2018We don\u2019t know if we have a case because she\u2019s no longer here,\u2019 and when she told me that, I immediately said, \u2018No, we\u2019re not going to let that slide,\u2019” Crystal Sandoval said of her late cousin, Makayla Rene Settles, while speaking to FOX LA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Makayla was living in Raleigh, North Carolina, when she turned 18 and decided to move to Moorpark, California, to live with her biological father, Stephen Vincent Chavez.<\/p>\n Sandoval said she had plans to attend college and plant roots out west.<\/p>\n But on July 21, 2025, Makayla called home to North Carolina two days after moving, and “it was just the fear in her voice, her crying … I didn\u2019t need details. I knew something was wrong, and I said, \u2018I\u2019m on the way,\u2019” said her mom, Carolina Sandoval, to FOX LA.<\/p>\n Father Pleads Guilty to Murder After Starving 50-Pound Daughter, 12, During \u2018Years\u2019 of Abuse<\/a><\/p>\n Carolina said when she saw her daughter later, she couldn’t believe it. “She\u2019s barely walking,” Carolina said. “My brother picks her up and hugs her.”<\/p>\n A rape kit was completed on Makayla at a nearby hospital, which allegedly determined seminal fluid recovered during the sexual assault forensic exam tested positive for Stephen\u2019s DNA. The father was arrested that same night for incest, taking advantage of a position of trust, and providing alcohol to a minor.<\/p>\n “I was screaming, I was crying. I just kept thinking, why would he do that to her?” Sandoval said. “This is something she could not come back from.”<\/p>\n On December 28, 2025, Makayla died by suicide. “If I\u2019m being honest, it feels like I handed my daughter to the devil,” Carolina confided to the station.<\/p>\n She said Stephen texted Makayla while she was in the hospital, saying, “I\u2019m never drinking liquor again. I don\u2019t want that blackout to happen again.”<\/p>\n Sandoval said they are devastated to learn from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office the case may not go to trial because of Makayla’s death.<\/p>\n Sandoval said she went on social media to demand justice and has managed to get hundreds of people to commit to showing up to Chavez\u2019s next court hearing, which is set for April 21 at the Ventura County Courthouse.<\/p>\n “It was like he took her sunshine away and just kind of broke her soul,” Sandoval said.<\/p>\n The Ventura County District Attorney\u2019s Office, in a statement, said it was aware of Sandoval’s social media campaign.<\/p>\n