The Death of Lauren Smith-Fields

Lauren Smith-Fields was a young woman who was found dead in her bed after a night hanging out with an older man she met on a dating site in December of 2021. Despite the suspicious circumstances in which Lauren was found, her death was not taken seriously by authorities at first.

Lauren Smith-Fields was 23 years old and from Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was described as a very outgoing and a bright young woman by her family and close friends. She always seemed to know how to brighten people’s days if they were feeling down. Before her death, Lauren was in college and had her own successful business.

Lauren’s family began to grow worried after not hearing from her. On December 13, 2021, Lauren’s mother Shantell and her brother went to Lauren’s apartment to check on her, but she wasn’t there. Instead, there was a note on her door which stated, “If you’re looking for Lauren, call the number.” The phone number belonged to Lauren’s landlord. The landlord then delivered the unfortunate and heartbreaking news to Lauren’s family that she passed away.

Lauren’s family was obviously shocked by this. Her family stated that they had to contact the detectives and the Bridgeport Police Department to get confirmation on Lauren’s death. Why weren’t they informed of Lauren’s death by the police when she was found?!

According to a police report, on December 12, 2021, authorities received a call from a man saying that the woman he was with was unconscious. The man that called, Matthew LaFountain, had supposedly met Lauren on a dating app called Bumble. The two met up at Lauren’s apartment the day before, where they hung out together.

LaFountain then stated that Lauren went outside to retrieve something from her brother, and then came back inside where she went into the bathroom for about 10-15 minutes. According to Lauren’s brother, when he came to pick up some clothes from Lauren’s home, she appeared perfectly fine and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Her brother was however unaware that the man was in Lauren’s apartment at that time.

The following day, LaFountain contacted the authorities to report her death. According to him, after they finished drinking and watching movies the night before, he carried Lauren to her bed and they both feel asleep together. LaFountain stated that at about 3 A.M. he went to the bathroom and Lauren was still breathing and asleep. At about 6:30 A.M. he woke up again, and found Lauren lying on her side with blood coming out of her nose and she was not breathing.

When authorities arrived, Lauren was pronounced dead. Lauren’s landlord was contacted, but he had no family information to contact her relatives. So Lauren’s family wasn’t made aware of her passing until they went to her apartment and spoke to her landlord.

According to the medical examiner, Lauren’s death was a result of “acute intoxication due to combined affects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol,”; also classified as an accidental overdose. According to Lauren’s family, she absolutely didn’t do drugs, rarely drank alcohol, and went to the gym regularly. The family’s attorney states that because of this, they are focused on how the drugs got into her system, not about what kind of drugs because Lauren wasn’t a drug user.

Outrage grew when it was found that Matthew LaFountain, the man Lauren was with when she died, was not investigated or questioned after her death. It was as if the police just took his word for what happened without properly investigating him. Lauren’s brother stated that the police claimed to have not investigated LaFountain because he “seemed like a nice guy.”

Evidence was not properly collected from the crime scene as well. When Lauren’s family visited her home after her passing, they found a used condom with semen inside, and a pill that is believed to be a sedative. The Mayor later announced that the city’s Office of Internal Affairs would conduct a proper investigation of the police’s handling of Lauren’s case.

Lauren’s death is still being investigated and her family is not giving up hope on getting the justice that she deserves. Something more happened to Lauren than what is being told, and soon the truth will be revealed.