Who was Imani Dia Smith? 25-year-old The Lion King child actress found dead, boyfriend charged with murder

Imani Smith, a former child actor who starred in “The Lion King”, was found dead on December 21 in New Jersey, according to a press release from Middlesex County, N.J., Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department, Variety reported. She was 25.

It's alleged that she was murdered by her boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small.

According to several reports, police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at 9:18 am on December 21. Upon arrival, they found Imani Smith with stab wounds.

She was then transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

After an investigation, Edison police arrested Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, without incident.

Small was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

“Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other prior to the incident, thus it was not a random act of violence,” the release added.

Who was Imani Dia Smith?

According to Playbill, Smith played Young Nala in "The Lion King" from September 27, 2011, to September 23, 2012.

According to a GoFundMe created by her aunt, Kira Helper, Smith is survived by her three-year-old son, her parents, Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, and two younger siblings.

Kira Helper, Smith’s aunt, organised a GoFundMe, where she wrote that the actress was “senselessly killed by her boyfriend.”

“Imani had her whole life ahead of her. She was a vivacious, loving and fiercely talented person,” Helper wrote on the fundraiser page.

“A true triple-threat performer, she most notably played the role of Young Nala on Broadway in Disney’s Lion King — an experience that reflected the joy, creativity, and light she put into the world," the message read.

Helper explained that the GoFundMe was organised to “support Imani’s parents, Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, who are now facing the unimaginable: grieving their daughter while stepping in to raise her young son and support their two other children during this traumatic time.”

The GoFundMe had raised more than $46,000 as of Wednesday.

About The Lion King

The Lion King is the story of a young lion prince living in the flourishing African Pride Lands.

When an unthinkable tragedy, orchestrated by Simba’s wicked uncle, Scar, takes his father’s life, Simba flees the Pride Lands, leaving his loss and the life he knew behind.

Eventually, accompanied by two hilarious and unlikely friends, Simba starts anew.

But when the weight of responsibility and a desperate plea from the now ravaged Pride Lands come to find the adult prince, Simba must take on a formidable enemy, and fulfil his destiny to be king.