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Lauren Smith-Fields’ Death Ruled An “Accident” By Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

After month-long inquiries by Lauren Smith Fields family, friends and folks online, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled on her cause of death. The announcement was made on Monday, per ABC News.

Apparently, Lauren passed away from “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine and alcohol. Given the findings, the medical examiner has determined her cause of death to be an accident.

As previously reported, Lauren was found unresponsive in her apartment on December 12, 2021. Police arrived at Laurens place at 6:30 a.m. on the date mentioned and found her lying on her back, on the floor.

Leading Up To Lauren’s Passing

According to the official report, when police they arrived, a white man appeared frantic and was trembling and visibly shaken when he opened the door to Laurens apartment. He was the same person who called 911.

The met in person for the first time the night before Lauren died. They connected on the app Bumble three days before the meet. He said they were consuming alcohol shots then Lauren got sick inside her bathroom. The unnamed man said Lauren stepped outside for a second and then went to the bathroom for another 10-15 minutes.

Afterwards, they continued drinking alcohol. He says they fell asleep, but that when he woke up at 3 a.m. she was snoring. But when he woke up a few hours later, Lauren wasn’t breathing and had blood coming out of her nose.

Family Files Legal Notice

Laurens family filed a legal notice last Friday thats part of a planned lawsuit against the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the Bridgeport Police Department. The family’s legal notice says police “failed to implement the proper crime scene investigation team to collect physical evidence.” Additionally, Bridgeport police “refuse to view the last person to see Smith-Fields before she died as a person of interest.”

Family attorney Darnell Crosland spoke of the handling of the case during an interview on ‘Good Morning America.’

“Lauren Smith-Fields wasn’t given the treatment that she should have been given,” Darnell said.

He also said, “You expect the police to follow protocol, which is to question the gentleman that was at the scene, take his DNA, compare it to the physical evidence that’s present.”

Well, the family is saying police did not follow this protocol. Instead, police handled the case in what Lauren’s brother Lakeem Jetter says is a “disgusting way.”

“The way they handled her investigation was literally disgraceful, disgusting, horrible. It was not even human,” Lakeem said.

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Cassandra Santiago

Cassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.

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