Rapper BIA has joined in the effort to bring more awareness to the tragic death of 22-year-old social media influencer Lauren Smith-Fields.
Smith-Fields was found dead in her Connecticut apartment the morning after going on a date with a man she met on the dating app Bumble. The man, 37-year-old Matthew LaFountain, told police he found her unresponsive in her bed after a night of seemingly normal activities.
According to TMZ, BIA met with the lawyer of Smith-Fields’ family following the young woman’s death this past December to let him know that she wanted to use her platform to help with the case. Since then, other celebrities, most notably rapper Cardi B, have come out publicly to voice their concerns about the case.
Late last month, Smith-Fields’ family thanked Cardi for intervening and said that if it wasn’t for her, the Bridgeport Police Department would not have started an investigation into her death. “I feel like because he’s a white guy and she’s a Black girl, they’re just throwing it under the rug,” Smith-Fields’ brother Lakeem Jetter told NBC News.
Last week, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner officially reported that Smith-Fields died from “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol,” but the family said they don’t believe that was the cause. BIA is now apparently asking to meet with Smith-Fields’ family to continue to help in any way she can.
The Bridgeport Police Department is asking that anyone with information on the death of Smith-Fields to contact (203) 576-TIPS.
