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Her drawings looked like something a child might make. They contained things no child should ever have to know. That tension was the whole art.
The bright lights of Broadway once echoed with her laughter and her talent. Today, they feel dimmer. Imani Smith, the young actress who once brought joy to audiences as Young Nala in Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ on Broadway, has died in a tragic incident that has left the theatre world heartbroken.
Authorities say they are investigating her death as a homicide.
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What happened that night
According to officials from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey, they found Imani Smith with stab wounds on December 21. Police officers in Edison, New Jersey, rushed to the scene after receiving a 911 call.
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Then they took Imani to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where doctors tried to save her. Sadly, she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
Arrest made in the case
Police arrested Jordan D. Jackson-Small in connection with Imani’s death. Authorities confirmed that Jackson-Small knew Smith personally and that the incident was not random.
Later, Imani’s aunt, Kira Helper, confirmed in a GoFundMe post that Jackson-Small was her boyfriend.
Jackson-Small was arrested without resistance and now faces several serious charges, including first-degree murder. He is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Centre while the investigation continues.
Remembering Imani’s light
Those who knew Imani remember her not just as a performer, but as a loving and joyful person.
“Imani had her whole life ahead of her,” her aunt wrote in an emotional tribute. She described Imani as full of energy, warmth, and talent, a true performer who could sing, dance, and act with ease.
Playing Young Nala on Broadway was one of Imani’s proudest achievements. For her family, it symbolised her passion, discipline, bright future.
A family left behind
Imani Smith is survived by her three-year-old son, her parents Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, her aunt, and two younger siblings.
There is now a GoFundMe page to support her grieving parents, with a fundraising goal of $55,000.
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