Death of Lia Smith

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Lia Purcell Smith
Smith for Middlebury College's swimming and diving team
BornMarch 7, 2004
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Died (aged 21)
Cornwall, Vermont, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide
EducationMiddlebury College
Awards
  • Sean McLarry Fine Arts Scholarship Award at Sacred Heart
  • Blue-Ribbon Award at Sacred Heart
  • Rotary Club of Menlo Park Academic Achievement Award
  • Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award

Lia Purcell Smith (March 7, 2004 – October 18, 2025) was an American student at Middlebury College who died by suicide on October 18, 2025, at the age of 21. She was reported missing by her father on October 19, 2025, and her body was found by the Vermont State Police in Cornwall, Vermont, on October 24, 2025. Smith had been a member of the Middlebury Panthers women's swimming and diving team but left the team following the NCAA's ban on trans women athletes in response to President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14201.

Background

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Smith was born on March 7, 2004, in Berkeley, California, the daughter of Gregory C. Smith and Keith E. Purcell.[1] She grew up in Woodside, California and graduated from Sacred Heart Preparatory, a private Catholic school in Atherton.[2][3] She received the Sean McLarry Fine Arts Scholarship Award at Sacred Heart in 2021, the Blue-Ribbon Award at Sacred Heart in 2022, and the Rotary Club of Menlo Park Academic Achievement Award in 2022.[4] She volunteered as a teaching assistant at Peninsula Bridge, where she was awarded the Bronze Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2022.[4] From 2012 to 2023, Smith competed in diving competitions throughout the United States.[1]

Middlebury College in Vermont, where Smith was enrolled.

Smith was an openly transgender woman.[5]

She attended Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, studying computer science and statistics.[6] She was a member of the college's chess club, bridge club, LGBTQ+ club, and Japanese club.[6][4] She was set to graduate from college in 2026.[5]

Smith was a diver on the Middlebury Panthers women's swimming and diving team.[6] She began diving for the Panthers as a freshman, during the 2022–2023 season.[5] She was one of her team's top performers, placing fifth overall off the 3-meter board during her rookie debut.[7] She left the diving team the following year, citing difficulties competing as a transgender student athlete.[5] The website and X account called "HeCheated", which documents transgender women winning competitions designated for women in athletics, tracked and reported Smith's diving history, including revealing Smith's birth name.[5] In February 2025, the account posted that Middlebury College had removed Smith's diving team profile from their website, following the NCAA's ban on trans women athletes competing.[8]

Following President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14201, which attempts to ban transgender women and girls from competing in women's sports, Smith spoke at a protest forum titled Trans Healthcare is NOT a Debate! in February 2025, stating that it was "really hard going in a locker room where you're not welcome, and there's really not a clear space that I should be going to" and that "we're [transgender people] not trying to get into women's spaces to be perverts.. we're just being ourselves. We don't mean any harm to anyone."[9][10] She spoke up about having to undergo quarterly hormone checks to be able to compete.[9]

Death

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Smith was last seen on the campus of Middlebury College on October 17, 2025.[6] Her father reported her missing to the Middlebury Police Department on October 19, 2025.[11][12] On Thursday, October 23, 2025, an unidentified body was found in Cornwall, Vermont near The Knoll, Middlebury College's organic farm.[13][14] Vermont State Police identified the body as Smith's on Friday, October 24, 2025.[15][16] The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner's Office's determined the death was a suicide.[3]

Aftermath and reactions

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Middleburry College president Iam Baucom released a statement following Smith's death, referring to her as "an articulate advocate of transgender rights."[17] He offered condolences to the family and called Smith's death "a profound loss."[13] Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-VT) issued a press release on October 27, 2025, mourning Smith's death.[18] Journalist Erin Reed blamed politicians who support anti-transgender policies for Smith's death.[19]

A memorial service for Smith took place on November 2, 2025, at the Harman Assembly Hall at Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton.[1] Smith's family requested for donations to be made to the Prism Center for Queer and Trans Life at Middlebury via a memorial website made in honor of her.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Lia Purcell Smith 2004 - 2025". Forever Missed. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  2. ^ Frodyma, Terin (October 29, 2025). "Former Middlebury College Diver Lia Smith Found Dead at 21 After Being Reported as Missing". Swim Swam. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "21-year-old trans student Lia Smith took her own life, say police". Pink News. October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Sen, Sumanti (October 30, 2025). "Who was Lia Smith? 21-year-old trans student from Middlebury College dies by suicide". Hindustan Times. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e Owen, Greg (October 30, 2025). "A cruel transphobic website targeted this diver. She later died by suicide". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Elder-Connors, Liam (October 27, 2025). "Police identify body found in Cornwall as missing Middlebury College student". Vermont Public. Colchester, Vermont. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  7. ^ "Several Personal Bests Highlight Third Day of NESCAC Championship". Middlebury Panthers. Middlebury, Vermont: Middlebury College. February 11, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  8. ^ Heatherman, Margaret (October 29, 2025). "Missing Trans Student-Athlete, Lia Smith, Found Dead In Vermont". GoMag. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Howell, Martin (February 27, 2025). "Students and community turn out for their trans peers". Addison County Independent. Middlebury, Vermont. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  10. ^ Creighton Keogh, Sarah (October 28, 2025). "US trans advocate and diver Lia Smith found dead". Yahoo UK. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  11. ^ "UPDATE: Missing college student died by suicide". Addison County Independent. Middlebury, Vermont. October 24, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  12. ^ Davis, Andrew (October 30, 2025). "NATIONAL Trans student's death, HIV-prevention drug, Stonewall Museum, conversion-therapy suit". Windy City Times. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Street, Mikelle (October 27, 2025). "Lia Smith, Missing 21-Year-Old Trans Student, Found Dead in Vermont". Them. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  14. ^ Khan, Melina (October 24, 2025). "Police find body in search for missing Vermont college student Lia Smith". Yahoo Canada. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  15. ^ Rumpf-Whitten, Sarah (October 24, 2025). "Body found during search for missing Vermont college student Lia Smith near Middlebury campus". Fox News. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  16. ^ Whiteside, Steph (October 27, 2025). "Body found during search ID'd as missing college student Lia Smith". Yahoo News. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  17. ^ Baucom, Ian (October 25, 2025). "President Updates Community on Lia Smith '26". Middlebury College. Middlebury, Vermont. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  18. ^ Balint, Becca (October 27, 2025). "Rep. Becca Balint Mourns the Loss of Middlebury College Student, Lia Smith". Office of U.S. Representative Becca Balint. Middlebury, Vermont. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  19. ^ Reed, Erin (October 29, 2025). "Every Trans Suicide Is A Murder By Those In Power". Erin in the Morning. Retrieved October 31, 2025.