The Lauren Smith-Fields Case and How The "Missing White Woman Syndrome" Impacts It
Mother of Lauren Smith-Fields stands with family during a protest
America has a century-long record of mistreating black women; from Breonna Taylor to Sandra Bland, there are so many stories of black women being ignored, neglected, and harmed by our society. The latest addition to this list is Lauren Smith-Fields, the young 23 year old woman who went on a Bumble date and was found dead after. The Bridgeport, Connecticut Police Department initially failed to alert Lauren’s family of her death, and has continuously failed Lauren and her family throughout the investigation.
Lauren Smith-Fields was a young woman who attended Norwalk Community College and had hopes to become a physical therapist. She also was heavily interested in beauty and travel and showed this via social media. Lauren went on a date with an older white man -37 to be exact- after 3 days of speaking. Eventually the two made it back to Lauren’s house and drank, ate, played games, and watched a movie. According to TLC investigators, Lauren left to meet her brother outside and spent 10 to 15 minutes in the bathroom after returning. The night continued, the two finished a movie, and Lauren fell asleep on the couch, with her date bringing her to bed. At 6:30 a.m. her date woke up to find Lauren lying on her right side, not breathing, with blood coming from her right nostril. Lauren’s family was not made aware of the events until they found out themselves. When they asked about the man that was with her, he was called, “a nice guy,” and since then has not been viewed as a suspect, even though he was the last person to see her alive.
At several points, Lauren’s family has expressed their outrage for the poor and inefficient manner that their daughter’s death is being investigated. The death has been ruled an overdose of Fentanyl combined with prescription medication and alcohol according to the police statement. However, the family does not believe that is what happened because they claim it does not sound like something their daughter would do. The family is also planning to sue the police department for their racially insensitive handling of the case. Not only has the police ignored the fact that Lauren's date was the last person to see her alive, they refused to interview him. The police also processed key pieces of evidence such as the bloodied sheets, drinks, a condom with semen in it, and a pill two weeks later. On top of this they also collected items like her credit card, passport and cell phone.
This investigation and the way it is being conducted brings forward the conversation of America’s history of disregarding the safety of black women. Lauren Smith-Fields’ death follows the case of Gabby Petito, who’s story swept the entire country and was covered in great detail. Petito’s case is an instance of “missing white girl syndrome,” a term coined by journalist Gwen Ifill in 2004. The term calls out how the media fixates upon stories pertaining to crimes against white women, and ignores ones about black and other women of color. Stories like Gabby’s are spread far and wide, while stories like Lauren’s get little to no coverage, except from members of their communities. We as individuals might not be able to go in and do what needs to be done ourselves, but we can share stories to raise awareness. We need to hold the systems of our country accountable for the crimes that have been committed against black people, and we must try our best to not allow Lauren Smith-Fields to be another name that never received justice.
SOURCES
Lauren Smith-Fields Was Found Dead. Her Family Had to Beg for Answers [New York Times]
Conn. police probe death of Lauren Smith-Fields, found dead after a date in December [NPR]
Gabby Petito and one way to break media’s ‘missing white woman syndrome’ [Los Angeles Times]
IMAGE SOURCES
Families of Smith-Fields, Rawls demand reform from Bridgeport Police Commissioners [Connecticut Public]
What happened to Lauren Smith-Fields? Family demands justice after 23-year-old found dead after date [ABC 7 Chicago]