Lauren Fields-Smith's Cause of Death Prompts Police to Launch Probe; TikTok Star's Family Cries For Justice
The confirmation of Lauren Smith-Fields' cause of death formally caused the police department to launch a probe into the case.
On Monday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner revealed that Smith-Fields died accidentally due to acute intoxication. It detected a combination of fentanyl, hydroxyzine, alcohol, and promethazine in her system.
As the medical examiner detected fentanyl, Bridgeport Police Department confirmed that it opened a criminal investigation on Tuesday. The Narcotics and Vice Division will reportedly conduct the probe alongside the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Chief of Police Rebecca Garcia published a statement confirming the development, saying that the police department still sees the case as an active investigation.
"The Bridgeport Police Department continues to treat the untimely death of Lauren Smith-Fields as an active investigation as we are now refocusing our attention and efforts to the factors that lead to her untimely death," she said, as quoted by Rolling Stone.
The new update came after the lawyer of Smith-Fields' family, Darnell Crosland, said they intended to sue the Bridgeport police department for not focusing on the probe. An officer involved in the supposed investigation had been reportedly removed.
Lauren Smith-Fields' Family Calls For Justice
Reports in December confirmed that Smith-Fields was found unresponsive inside her apartment before eventually succumbing. The TikTok star's father, Everett, told News 12 Westchester on December 27 that they knew their daughter did not use drugs.
The authorities arrived at her apartment on December 12 after a man -- who claimed to have met the woman on a dating app - called the police. He said he visited her apartment for the first time the night before her death when she started to feel ill. The following day, he saw Smith-Fields' nose bleeding before confirming she was not breathing.
READ ALSO: Is Fredrik Eklund Leaving 'Million Dollar Listing' Because of Feud With Co-Stars?
The police initially did not suspect foul play and had not named the man as a person of interest, but Everett and the rest of the family said that a foul play might have been involved as her death happened after meeting an older white man - who called 911 -- on a dating app.
However, her brother, Lakeem Jetter, told local reporters that the guy seemed to be a nice guy and that there was nothing to investigate.
READ MORE: Travis Pastrana's Horrifying Parachute Accident Caught on Camera -- Watch Video Here!
