Lauren Smith-Field’s family announced a lawsuit against the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut over its investigation into her death.
The 23-year-old college student’s body was found in her apartment on Dec. 12, reportedly after she went on a date with a white man she met on the dating app Bumble.
The man, later identified as Matthew LaFountain, told officers he woke up next to Lauren, and saw “blood was coming out of her right nostril,” and “she was not breathing.”
However, Lauren’s family said she wasn’t into drugs and they questioned why police didn’t investigate LaFountain.
“When we asked about this guy, [the detective said] ‘he was a nice guy, there was no need to investigate,” Lauren’s father, Everett Smith said.
The family says the state laboratory never received physical evidence from Lauren’s apartment, including a pill used as a sedative, a condom and “a round bloodstain in the middle of [Lauren’s] bed.”
The family accused the Bridgeport Police Dept. of violating Lauren’s civil rights and engaging in an intentional “lack of humanity,” for their daughter.
They said they learned of her death from a note taped on her apartment door — from her landlord — with a phone number to call.
Lauren’s distraught brother posted a photo of a man he alleges is LaFountain on his Instagram page. In text over the photo, he wrote “This is Matthew LaFountain of Milford, CT. This is the “nice guy” Bridgeport Police Department failed to investigate after receiving a 911 call from him about my beautiful sisters’ passing. Since when do you not question that last person to be with the deceased?”
Social media users allege Lauren worked as an escort to pay her college tuition and living expenses.
The family held a rally for Lauren in Bridgeport on Sunday, her 24th birthday.
“No one is going to discard my daughter like she is rubbish,” said her emotional mother, Shantell Fields.
“No one is going to discard my daughter like she’s rubbish” – Shantell Fields, mother of #LaurenSmithFields, emotional at a rally in #Bridgeport on what would have been Lauren’s 24th birthday @WTNH pic.twitter.com/p22YXs8jb8
— Lauren Linder (@lauren_linder) January 23, 2022
