The mother of Lauren Smith-Fields is speaking out about her daughter’s death in a new national TV interview, and addressing the investigation — or lack thereof — surrounding the tragedy, which took place back in mid-December.
As we previously reported, Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old Black woman in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was found dead in her home on December 12 of last year following a date she’d set with a 37-year-old man via the popular dating app Bumble.
In the days after the investigation, Smith-Fields’ family publicly criticized the police in Bridgeport for their apparently lack of urgency in investigating the otherwise-healthy young woman’s death, and the man who reportedly last saw her alive. Last week, the Connecticut city’s Chief Medical Examiner revealed Smith-Fields’ cause of death as “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol,” and ruled it accidental. Nevertheless, Smith-Fields’ family is adamant that the young woman did not do drugs, and would not have been in that situation.
Now, Lauren’s mother Shantell Fields is receiving much-needed attention regarding the terrible tragedy and the unfortunate investigative aftermath. On Tuesday, Shantell and the family’s lawyer, Darnell Crosland, sat down for a virtual interview with the hosts of The Real. In it, they discussed the public outcry surrounding the sad situation. For Shantell, she was adamant about why she remains so insistent to pursue justice for her daughter:
“On that day my whole world came crashing down around me, knowing that my daughter was found lifeless in her apartment, and that person was able just to walk away. So right now, I’m just here trying to seek justice for my daughter.”
Shantell also wanted to make it very clear that she did not see eye-to-eye with the medical examiner about her daughter’s post-mortem toxicology report. The grieving mother said:
“The biggest misconception is that my daughter was on drugs. She was not on drugs. Lauren worked out every day. She was on a plant-based diet. She went to college. She had her own business in her home. There was no drugs. She was not on drugs at all. She had her whole life ahead of her.”
Wow.
Crosland also revealed some good news regarding early disciplinary action taken against the detectives involved in the case who allegedly shuffled their feet at the start of the investigation. The lawyer said (below):
“I’m happy to announce that based on the public outcry, and based on all the support that we’ve gotten from people all around the country, and around the world, just this week the mayor of Bridgeport has announced that the officers involved in the matter have been placed on administrative suspension. One of the officers is also being forced to take early retirement.”
So it would seem that the major public response to the tragedy is getting the police to act and take this investigation more seriously. It’s about time… Here is the full interview (below):
Powerful.
As Crosland noted, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim has placed the primary detective who handled the case on administrative leave. The city’s police department has also finally opened a criminal probe into the young woman’s death. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is also assisting the investigation.
Let’s just hope this leads to some semblance of justice for Shantell and her family as they continue to grieve the death of their beloved and beautiful daughter.
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