Remembering Lia Smith: A Bright Light Lost Too Soon 💔

The Mid­dle­bury Col­lege com­mu­ni­ty is mourn­ing the heart­break­ing loss of 21-year-old stu­dent and ath­lete, Lia Smith, whose pass­ing has left an unfil­l­able void among her peers, pro­fes­sors, and loved ones.

Lia was report­ed miss­ing on Octo­ber 19, just two days after she was last seen on cam­pus. After days of inten­sive search efforts involv­ing mul­ti­ple agen­cies, author­i­ties con­firmed on Octo­ber 23 that a body dis­cov­ered near The Knoll, Middlebury’s organ­ic farm, was Lia.
An inves­ti­ga­tion by the Ver­mont State Police found no signs of foul play, and the Chief Med­ical Examiner’s Office lat­er deter­mined the cause of death to be sui­cide.

In a state­ment, Mid­dle­bury Col­lege Pres­i­dent Ian Bau­com expressed his pro­found sor­row:

“I have spo­ken with Lia’s fam­i­ly to express my heart­break. As pres­i­dent, and far more as a fel­low par­ent, I ache for them. This is a pro­found loss that nobody should have to endure… She was a gift to us, and we are so grate­ful that she was—and will always remain—a mem­ber of our Mid­dle­bury fam­i­ly.”

Lia joined Mid­dle­bury in 2022 and quick­ly became a shin­ing pres­ence both in and out of the water. A tal­ent­ed div­er, she made her mark on the college’s Swim­ming and Div­ing Team, secur­ing vic­to­ries in both one-meter and three-meter events ear­ly in her col­le­giate career. But her lega­cy extends far beyond her ath­let­ic achieve­ments.

Pur­su­ing a dou­ble major in com­put­er sci­ence and sta­tis­tics, Lia embod­ied curios­i­ty, dis­ci­pline, and com­pas­sion. She was known for her intel­li­gence and advo­ca­cy, serv­ing as a vocal sup­port­er of trans­gen­der rights and inclu­sion on cam­pus — a cause she cham­pi­oned with courage and empa­thy.

Beyond aca­d­e­mics and ath­let­ics, Lia was an active mem­ber of the Chess Club and Japan­ese Club, where her humor, warmth, and thought­ful spir­it made her beloved among friends and fac­ul­ty alike.

She was set to grad­u­ate in May 2026.

As Mid­dle­bury Col­lege and those who knew her come to terms with this pro­found loss, Lia will be remem­bered not only for her remark­able achieve­ments but for the kind­ness, con­vic­tion, and authen­tic­i­ty that defined her short but impact­ful life.
🕊️ Rest in peace, Lia. You will always be remem­bered.