Former Broadway Child Actress, 25, Killed in New Jersey Stabbing

Imani Dia Smith, who appeared in “The Lion King,” died after she was stabbed at a home in Edison, the authorities said. A man faces murder charges related to the incident.

Imani Dia Smith, a former Broadway child actress who appeared in “The Lion King,” died on Sunday after she was stabbed at a home in Edison, N.J., according to New Jersey officials.

The authorities found Ms. Smith, 25, with stab wounds after responding to a call on Sunday, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. She was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Investigators have not said what led to the stabbing or whether others were present at the time.

Ms. Smith played Young Nala in the long-running Disney production from Sept. 27, 2011, to Sept. 23, 2012, according to Playbill.

The authorities arrested Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, on Tuesday and charged him 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, the prosecutors said. Prosecutors described him only as someone Ms. Smith knew.

As of Wednesday evening, it was not clear whether Mr. Jackson-Small had a lawyer.

Related Content