Imani Dia Smith, a former child actress known for her role as Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway, was fatally stabbed in her home in Edison, New Jersey. The 25-year-old was pronounced dead on December 21, 2025, just days before Christmas. Authorities have charged her boyfriend with first-degree murder in what they describe as a non-random act of violence.
Imani Dia Smith began her career as a child performer, joining the cast of The Lion King on Broadway in September 2011 at a young age. She portrayed Young Nala from September 27, 2011, to September 23, 2012, according to records from Playbill. Her performance was part of the long-running production, which has launched the careers of many young talents. Family and friends described Smith as a “vivacious, loving, and fiercely talented” individual—a true triple-threat performer who brought joy, creativity, and light to the stage and those around her.
Beyond her time on Broadway, Smith was a mother to a 3-year-old son and was remembered by her family as someone with “her whole life ahead of her.” She leaves behind her parents, Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, two younger siblings, an extended family, and a beloved dog named Kuro.
On the morning of December 21, 2025, at approximately 9:18 a.m., Edison police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a residence on Grove Avenue. Officers discovered Smith suffering from stab wounds. She was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she was pronounced dead.
Following an investigation by the Edison Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small was arrested without incident on December 23, 2025. He has been charged with:
- First-degree murder
- Second-degree endangering the welfare of a child
- Third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
- Fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon
He is currently held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending a pre-trial detention hearing.
