Dove Cameron Opens Up About Childhood Friend's Murder

The actress details the lasting trauma of losing her childhood friend Hayley in a tragic family murder-suicide.

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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In a recent interview on the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, actress Dove Cameron opened up about the devastating loss of her childhood friend Hayley, who was murdered by her own father when they were both just 9 years old. Cameron described the lasting emotional impact of the tragedy, which 'fissured' her brain and left her 'very, very, very disturbed' by the realization that someone she had known since early childhood could commit such a horrific act.

Why it matters

Dove Cameron's story sheds light on the profound and long-lasting effects of childhood trauma, particularly when it involves the sudden and violent loss of a close friend or family member. Her willingness to share this deeply personal experience helps raise awareness of the challenges faced by survivors of such tragedies and the importance of providing appropriate support and resources.

The details

When Dove Cameron was 9 years old, her childhood friend Hayley was murdered by Hayley's father, Steve Byrne, who also killed Hayley's sister Kelsey before taking his own life. Cameron had known Hayley since they were both 2 years old, and the two girls were very close. In the interview, Cameron described overhearing the devastating phone call from Hayley's school principal informing her parents of the tragedy. She said the trauma of losing her friend in such a horrific way 'fissured' her brain and left her deeply disturbed, with lasting emotional impacts that she still grapples with today.

  • On November 22, 2004, Steve Byrne murdered his daughters Kelsey and Hayley.
  • Dove Cameron was 9 years old at the time of the murders.

The players

Dove Cameron

An American actress and singer who has opened up about the lasting trauma of losing her childhood friend Hayley in a tragic family murder-suicide when they were both 9 years old.

Hayley

Dove Cameron's childhood friend who was murdered by her father, Steve Byrne, when they were both 9 years old.

Steve Byrne

The father of Hayley and Kelsey Byrne, who murdered his two daughters and then took his own life in 2004.

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What they’re saying

“I had stayed with her dad for like quite a lot of the summer before [the murder] happened. And I think even at 8, it was like a dark energy. He was a very angry man.”

— Dove Cameron (Call Her Daddy)

“She basically said like, 'This is going to be a really, really disturbing call. Hayley and [her sister] Kelsey are gone. Steve is gone, and he took the girls with him.'”

— Dove Cameron (Call Her Daddy)

“I was very very very very very disturbed by knowing someone for all that time and being like raised around them, and then realizing that they are capable of doing something so harrowing.”

— Dove Cameron (Call Her Daddy)

The takeaway

Dove Cameron's willingness to share her deeply personal experience of losing her childhood friend to a tragic family murder-suicide highlights the profound and lasting impact that such trauma can have on a person's psyche. Her story underscores the importance of providing appropriate support and resources for survivors of childhood trauma in order to help them process and cope with the emotional scars that such events can leave behind.