A Connecticut family is seeking answers after a young woman was found dead inside her apartment after meeting a man online.
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Lauren Smith-Fields,23, was found unresponsive inside her Bridgeport apartment on Dec. 12 after she met an older white man on the dating app Bumble. According to the family, the man contacted police about Smith-Fields but wasn’t taken in for questioning. Her brother told Westchester News 12 that he asked officers about the man but was informed that an arrest wasn’t made because “he was a nice man who didn’t need to be investigated.”
A cause of death was not revealed by the city’s medical examiner but the family paid for an independent examiner due to the police department’s handling of the case. “Without a doubt, we know that my daughter was not a drug user, and I had a second autopsy myself paid out of pocket because we felt so uncomfortable with the way it was handled,” Smith-Fields’ father, Everett Smith, said.
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A statement in reference to the case was released by The City of Bridgeport and said the BPD is taking the family’s concerns “very seriously.”
“The Bridgeport Police Department takes these concerns very seriously. The Command Staff of the Detective Bureau is reviewing the handling of this case to ensure that best practices were and are being followed. It is imperative to note that the death of Lauren Smith-Fields remains an ongoing investigation. Our department extends its deepest condolences to the family of Lauren.”