Calls for More Eyes on Lauren Smith-Fields Case Rise as Internet Cites Gabby Petito

Following the death of Lauren Smith-Fields, many have called for the case to receive more coverage and interest, like the investigation into the death of Gabby Petito did this past summer.

Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old Black woman, was found dead on December 12 at her home following a date with a white man whom she had met on the dating app Bumble. Officials with the Bridgeport Police Department in Connecticut were called to Smith-Fields' home by the man she met on Bumble, and officials determined that she was deceased when they arrived on scene.

The renewed interest in the case has come shortly after Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim announced that he was placing the officer handling the Smith-Fields case on administrative leave "for lack of sensitivity to the public and failure to follow police policy in the handling of" the case.

Smith-Fields' relatives have criticized police's handling of the case and have said that they were not informed of her death by the police department until a day or two after she was found dead. While speaking with CBS News this month, Smith-Fields' brother, Tavar Gray-Smith said that a detective had told the family that "We didn't need to reach out to any family member—we had her passport and her ID, so we knew who she was, and had already performed an autopsy, and her body is at the medical examiner's office."

The medical examiner's office eventually ruled that Smith-Fields death was an accident due to the combined effects of "fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine and alcohol," reportedly found in her system.

Smith-Field's family has said that they plan to file a lawsuit against the city of Bridgeport, alleging that the police department was "racially insensitive" to the case and investigation.

While speaking with CNN earlier this month, the family's attorney, Darnell Crosland spoke about the family's allegations and brought up the Petito case, which garnered national attention this past summer when she went missing and was eventually found dead after a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie.

"The reason it feels that way is because as of late, Gabby Petito was missing and the type of manhunt that was out for her killer was insurmountably different than we see here," Crosland told CNN.

Crosland made similar comments while speaking with Girls United where he said, "Since this case began, Lauren Smith-Fields hasn't been any different than what we've been seeing across the country when it comes to Black girls being missing, or Black girls being harmed...there's just a devaluation on the lives of Black girls. And when you compare that to the way the country reacted to Gabby Petito, it highlights this sentiment."

In a statement sent to Newsweek, Crosland said, "It's been over a month, and in that time the family has had to grieve and advocate for justice at the same time. That is unfair and unacceptable. People from across the country and around the world heard our cries for justice yet the city of Bridgeport did not."

The statement continued, "The city is liable for the behavior of its police department and its officers. I am pleased that the mayor has accepted that liability and publicly apologized to this family for the suffering they have endured."

The death of Petito sparked a nationwide manhunt for Laundrie and led to dozens of users across social media acting as online sleuths attempting to crack the case. A subreddit dedicated to the investigation currently has over 100,000 members, while a similar subreddit dedicated to Smith-Fields' death has 235 members.

Several Twitter users have also called for the Smith-Fields case to receive the same attention that Petito's case did.

"Disappointed by the lack of media coverage about the death of Lauren Smith-Fields. she was found dead in her apartment after a bumble date w an older white man, Matthew LaFountain, he was the last to see her alive, call 911 & he was NOT investigated," Twitter user Ash wrote.

Twitter user Official Throast had a similar opinion on the situation, writing, "Why is nobody talking about Lauren Smith-Fields and the man she was found deceased next to, Matthew LaFountain? Blow this shit up like you did Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie."

Twitter user Kaila asked, "where that energy for Lauren Smith Fields that y'all had for gabby petito ????"

Newsweek reached out to the city of Bridgeport Police Department for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.