Lia Smith ’26 has passed away at Middlebury College. She was found dead in the afternoon on Thursday, Oct. 23 by Vermont State Police (VSP) in a field near The Knoll, the college’s organic farm on the west end of campus.
A news release from VSP on Friday, Oct. 24 confirmed her identity and death by suicide. Smith had been reported missing on Sunday, Oct. 19 after having not been seen since that Friday and a large-scale search involving the FBI was launched to find her.
Smith, 21, was a double computer science and statistics major from Woodside, California, having attended Sacred Heart Preparatory School there. She had competed in previous seasons as a diver on the Women’s Swimming and Diving team and was a member of the Chess Club, Japanese Club (J Club), and Women in Computer Science. She was outspoken about her experience as a transgender student athlete, advocating for transgender rights.
A memorial website created by Smith’s family describes as an accomplished athlete, student and community servant.
“Lia will be remembered for her deep sense of empathy, her clever puns, her keen mind, particularly with respect to analytical matters, her robust and infectious laugh, her love of poetry and music, which she performed both as an accomplished pianist and trombonist, and perhaps most importantly, her undaunted courage,” the website reads.
Smith’s family is asking for donations to the Prism Center for Queer and Trans Life at the college in lieu of flowers.
College President Ian Baucom shared the news of Smith’s death in an email to the college community on Saturday morning.
“Over the past few days, I have learned what a remarkable person Lia was…” Baucom wrote. “She was a gift to us and we are so grateful that she was–and will always remain–a member of our Middlebury family.”
“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,” he wrote.
Baucom thanked the Student Affairs staff of the college for their support during the period of Lia’s disappearance, the Middlebury Police Department who led the investigation and the Vermont State Police for helping in the search, in addition to Public Safety.
“I know that this is a wrenching time,” Baucom’s email reads. “Please continue to extend care and compassion to one another and to yourselves.”
In the lobby of Hepburn Hall, the dorm where Smith lived her first year on campus, students have created a small memorial with a photo of her on a bulletin board surrounded by hand-written messages. On Thursday, Nov. 7 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Anderson Freeman Center (AFC), J Club and the Southeast Asian Society (SEAS) will host a joint remembrance event honoring Smith and fellow J-Club member Ivan Valerio ’26, who passed away in Nov. 2023. The event will feature Filipino and Japanese food cooked by classmates and opportunities to write letters and fold origami cranes in the two students’ memory.
Baucom wrote in his email that the college will plan opportunities for the community to gather and remember Smith.
Madeleine Kaptein '25.5 (she/her) is the Editor in Chief.
Madeleine previously served as a managing editor, local editor, staff writer and copy editor. She is a Comparative Literature major with a focus on German and English literatures and was a culture journalism intern at Seven Days for the summer of 2025.
