Bumble has released a statement about the mysterious death of Lauren Smith-Fields, a Black woman who passed away after meeting up with a white man she met from the dating app.
“With additional information about the death of Lauren Smith-Fields coming to light, we continue to be unsettled by this loss,” the dating app said in a statement on Wednesday night (Jan. 26). “We empathize with Lauren’s family, friends, and beloved community, and we stand by our statement that every parent deserves to know what has happened to their child. This matter deserves a thorough and serious investigation for the Fields family to get justice for Lauren.”
As REVOLT previously reported, last month, authorities received a 911 call from 37-year-old Matthew LaFountain from Smith-Fields’ apartment. The 23-year-old student was found lifeless once they arrived. LaFountain reportedly told investigators that he and the young woman began talking to each other on the Bumble dating app and decided to meet in person.
During their date, LaFountain said they drank alcohol, ate food, played games and watched a movie. He then said that Smith-Fields began to feel ill. He carried her to her bed and fell asleep next to her. When he woke up, the young woman was not breathing and blood was coming out of one of her nostrils. LaFountain has not been charged with any crime for Smith-Fields’ death.
Her family is now planning to file a lawsuit against the police department for being “racially insensitive” with the case. Shantell Fields, Smith-Fields’ mom, said she was not directly notified about her daughter’s death. Her brother said that a detective told him that they didn’t need to reach out to the family because they had her identification and had already performed an autopsy.
Earlier this week, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim announced that there will be an internal investigation into the police department’s handling of Smith-Fields’ passing. “There is no tolerance for anything less than respect and sensitivity for family members and their loss,” he said in a statement. “To that end, this matter has been referred to the Office of Internal Affairs to conduct a full and fair investigation.”
Check out Bumble’s statement below.