The world first met Imani Dia Smith under the golden glow of the Minskoff Theatre lights on Broadway. As a child, she played Young Nala in “The Lion King,” a role defined by bravery and the promise of a bright future. But that light was extinguished just four days before Christmas when Smith was found dead in her Edison, New Jersey, home. And authorities have since arrested a suspect in her death.
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Police arrived at the home on Grove Avenue Sunday at approximately 9:18 a.m. following a 911 call reporting a stabbing. Inside, officers found Smith suffering from multiple wounds, according to reports. She was rushed to a local hospital in New Brunswick, where she was later pronounced dead. She was 26.
While the quiet neighborhood stood in shock, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department clarified that the attack was not a random act of violence. By Tuesday (Dec. 23), authorities announced the arrest of 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small.
A GoFundMe created by Smith’s aunt, Kira Helper, alleged her niece was “senselessly killed by her boyfriend.” Jackson-Small, who was named as the suspect, was said to have known Smith “prior to the incident” by investigators. The pair also share a three-year-old son together, according to NBC News.
Jackson-Small was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
“Imani had her whole life ahead of her,” the GoFundMe page read. “She was a vivacious, loving and fiercely talented person.” The fundraiser called Smith “a true triple-threat performer,” naming her Young Nala role as “an experience that reflected the joy, creativity, and light she put into the world.”
Smith appeared in “The Lion King” between 2011 and 2012, according to Playbill. Her Broadway roots run deep, too.
Smith’s mother, Monique Rance-Helper, established a formidable career of her own, serving as a hairstylist for theater, film and television productions over the last 15 years, the publication said. Her makeup and hairstyling credits include “Smile” (2022), “A Quiet Place Part II” (2020) and “In the Heights” (2021), according to her IMDb page.
Smith is survived by her toddler son, “her parents, her two younger siblings, and an extended family, friends, and community who loved her so very much.”
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