Former ‘Lion King’ Child Actor Killed By Brutal Act, Police Say

Imani Dia Smith, who appeared in “The Lion King” on Broadway as a young stage actor, died after she was stabbed at a residence in Edison, New Jersey, police and prosecutors said in a joint news release on Tuesday. She was 25, according to a GoFundMe created by her aunt.

Police responded to a 911 call Monday morning and found Smith with stab wounds, according to the release. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan announced that a suspect, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, of Edison, had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering 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 before the incident, officials said. TMZ reported the suspect was her boyfriend, as did a GoFundMe to support Smith’s family.

Smith played Young Nala in “The Lion King” from Sept. 27, 2011, to Sept. 23, 2012, Playbill reported.

She is survived by her parents, two younger siblings and her 3-year-old son, according to the GoFundMe page.