NEED TO KNOW
- Middlebury College student Lia Smith was reported missing on Oct. 19, two days after she was last seen on campus
- A body was found in the search for Smith on Oct. 23, police said
- The initial investigation “does not indicate that the death is suspicious,” police said
A body was found in the search for missing Vermont college student Lia Smith, police said on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Members of the Vermont State Police and Rescue Team found the body in a field west of the Middlebury College campus, where Smith is a student, at around 1:30 p.m. local time, the Middlebury Police Department said in a statement. The remains were discovered in Cornwall, Vt., near the college’s organic farm, The Knoll.
Vermont State Police started a death investigation, and the body will be taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington, Vt., for an autopsy that will confirm the identity and cause of death. The autopsy will be performed on Friday, Oct. 24, police said.
The initial investigation “does not indicate that the death is suspicious,” police said.
“This is incredibly saddening news, and we are working to support our community in every way we can at this difficult time,” Middlebury College President Ian Baucom wrote in a statement, adding that the school will continue sharing information with the community as it becomes available.
“I know that this is extraordinarily difficult news to receive as we continue to hold Lia and all her family and friends tight in our hearts,” Baucom added. “As ever, please care for yourselves and one another.”
The Middlebury Police Department announced Smith’s disappearance on Sunday, Oct. 19. She was reported missing earlier that day and was last seen on campus on Oct. 17 at around 9 p.m., police said.
Smith’s father filed the missing persons report after he did not hear from her by phone, The Middlebury Campus reported. Smith is a double computer science and statistics major from California, per the college’s student newspaper, and also competed on the women’s swimming and diving team. She is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing about 160 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes.
Middlebury students joined authorities in the search for Smith, MyNBC5 reports.
“We’re a really small community,” senior Lucy Schembre told the local news outlet. “Even if you don’t know someone personally, you definitely know somebody who knows them, and you’ve definitely seen them around. It’s very jarring for somebody who’s supposed to be here, to not be here.”
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Anyone with information about Smith can call the Middlebury Police Department at 802-388-3191 or submit an online tip at www.middleburypolice.org. You can also call the Vermont State Police tip line at 844-848-8477.
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