A body was discovered in the search for missing a 21-year-old transgender athlete at a Vermont college, according to authorities.
The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Lia Smith and determined she had took her own life.
Smith’s body was found Thursday around 1.30pm in a field west of the Middlebury College campus, where she went to school.
She had been reported missing by her dad last Sunday.
In February, the Addison County Independent identified Smith as a transgender woman who had previously competed as a diver for Middlebury’s aquatics team.
Smith, of Woodside, California, was double majoring in computer science and statistics and scheduled to graduate in 2026.
Middlebury College reacted Thursday to the news that a body had been found on-campus.
A body was discovered and identified as missing 21-year-old former student athlete Lia Smith
The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday that Smith committed suicide
School president Ian Baucom said: ‘This is incredibly saddening news, and we are working to support our community in every way we can at this difficult time.
‘I know that this is extraordinarily difficult news to receive as we continue to hold Lia and all her family and friends tight in our hearts.
‘As ever, please care for yourselves and one another.’
The Middlebury Police Department said Smith had last been seen on the Middlebury campus on October 17 around 9pm.
She was reported missing two days later by her concerned father.
He filed the missing persons report after not hearing from her and speaking with her friends, the Middlebury Campus reported.
The search for Smith included the Vermont State Police’s search and rescue team and US Customs and Border Protection, as well as drones.
Smith was reported missing by her father last Sunday
Her body was found in a field west of the Middlebury College campus
College staff and students also joined the search.
An online form gathering search party volunteers had more than 170 responses earlier this week.
Middlebury College is a liberal arts school in Addison County, Vermont, which is located in the state’s Lake Champlain region.
The college has been called a ‘little ivy’ because of its selective 10 percent acceptance rate and focus on undergraduate education.
