Source: Photo courtesy of GoFundMe / Imani Dia Smith
The family of Broadway star Imani Dia Smith is asking the public for support following her death in a stabbing incident that occurred on Dec. 21 in Edison, New Jersey.
Smith’s aunt, Kira Helper, claimed that the 26-year-old actress died Sunday morning after she was allegedly “killed by her boyfriend,” according to a GoFundMe campaign that she organized to assist with the star’s funeral costs, legal fees, and family trauma counseling. Kira Helper shared that Smith is survived by her 3-year-old son, her parents, siblings, and a large extended family “who loved her so much.” The campaign has generated donations over its asking goal of $75,000.
“Imani had her whole life ahead of her. She was a vivacious, loving, and fiercely talented person,” Kira Helper wrote. “This GoFundMe is being organized to support Imani’s parents, Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, who are now facing the unimaginable: grieving their daughter while stepping in to raise her young son and support their two other children during this traumatic time.”
Authorities confirmed details of the incident in a press release issued Dec. 23 by Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan. The release stated that a man from Edison had been arrested and charged in connection with the homicide, though officials did not disclose a motive.
According to investigators, police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at approximately 9:18 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2025. Officers arrived at a Grove Avenue residence, where they found Smith suffering from stab wounds. She was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and later pronounced dead.
The investigation, led by Detective Kevin Kirsh of the Edison Police Department and Detective Olivia Ankudowicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, resulted in the arrest of Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, also of Edison. Officials noted that Smith and Jackson-Small were known to one another, indicating the incident was not random.
Jackson-Small was taken into custody without incident and charged 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. He is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending a pretrial detention hearing.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Kirsh at the Edison Police Department.
“As with all criminal defendants, the charges against Jackson-Small are just allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the press release noted.
According to Playbill, from Sept. 27, 2011, through Sept. 23, 2012, Smith appeared as Young Nala in Disney’s long-running Broadway production of The Lion King. Her mother, Monique Rance-Helper, is an accomplished hairstylist whose work spans both theater and film. She has styled hair and wigs for The Lion King on Broadway and contributed hairpieces to several notable productions, including Eclipsed, Once On This Island, The Lightning Thief, the In the Heights film adaptation, FX’s POSE, and numerous other projects.
MadameNoire sends love and light to Smith’s family during this difficult time.
