A former Broadway child star who played Young Nala in “The Lion King” was fatally stabbed inside her Edison home on Sunday morning, authorities said. The victim, identified as 26-year-old Imani Smith, was discovered around 9:18 a.m. after a 911 call reporting a stabbing. She was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Prosecutors charged her boyfriend, 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small, with first-degree murder and related offenses.
Officials said the case moved swiftly from a frantic emergency call to an arrest that same day as detectives pieced together events inside the Grove Avenue residence. Prosecutors emphasized that the killing was not random and that the two knew each other. Smith’s death resonated beyond Edison because of her Broadway turn as Young Nala in 2011–12 and because she leaves behind a 3-year-old son. As the holiday week begins, investigators are securing the home, processing evidence and preparing court filings that outline the sequence of the alleged attack and the charges now pending in Superior Court.
Police and medics were dispatched to the single-family home after the 9:18 a.m. call Sunday. Responding officers found Smith with multiple stab wounds and began lifesaving efforts before transporting her to the hospital, where she could not be saved. Detectives secured the scene, photographed the interior and collected a knife believed to be used in the attack, according to an initial summary. Neighbors reported seeing cruisers arrive within minutes as officers taped off the front walk and restricted access to the block near the residential corridor off Grove Avenue. Jackson-Small was detained later Sunday and booked into the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center.
Prosecutors announced a slate of counts that include first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and weapons offenses. Authorities did not immediately describe the circumstances behind the child-endangerment charge or state whether the child was present during the attack. Officials said there was no broader threat to the public. The Middlesex County Medical Examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death and document the number and trajectory of wounds. Investigators have not disclosed a motive, and there was no immediate information on prior calls for service to the home.
Smith’s family described her as a gifted performer who transitioned from the stage to a quiet life centered on her son. Public biographical notes list her appearance as Young Nala during the 2011–12 Broadway season, a role that puts child actors in one of the production’s most recognizable parts. Friends said she maintained ties to New York’s theater community through relatives who work in hair and makeup for stage and screen. By Monday, a crowdfunding page organized by an aunt had begun raising money for funeral expenses and therapy for the child, and messages from fellow performers and teachers filled social media remembrances.
The Edison neighborhood where the killing occurred is a mix of older homes and newer renovations along a series of side streets that feed into busier arteries. On Sunday afternoon, yellow tape stretched along a short fence line as technicians worked through the main rooms and hallway, marking small evidence tags near the entryway. Residents who live nearby said police asked if any doorbell cameras captured vehicles or people approaching or leaving the home between early morning and the time officers arrived. A few blocks away, traffic moved normally as neighbors compared notes about the sudden presence of investigators on an otherwise quiet weekend morning.
Detectives are reconstructing the timeline using 911 logs, body-worn camera video, and interviews. Routine steps include checking recent phone and message records, canvassing for surveillance footage and submitting collected items for lab testing. Prosecutors said Jackson-Small will have a first appearance and detention hearing in the days ahead, where a judge will review evidence summaries and decide whether he remains jailed while awaiting trial. The weapons counts, including possession for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession, will be detailed in charging documents that list the alleged use of a knife inside the home.
Court officers typically arrange a preliminary hearing schedule after the detention decision. If the case proceeds, prosecutors can present it to a grand jury for indictment. Defense counsel for Jackson-Small had not been listed in court records as of Tuesday. Any additional counts, including potential enhancements tied to the child-endangerment allegation, would be added as lab reports and witness statements return. Officials said they will release further updates as the medical examiner finalizes findings and as detectives close out interviews with relatives, neighbors and anyone who had recent contact with Smith or the defendant.
Smith’s Broadway credits as a child have drawn attention from the theater community, which often follows the careers of performers who first appeared on major stages at an early age. Teachers and colleagues who knew her described a disciplined child actor who later focused on family. “She had light in her voice and a calm in rehearsal that lifted other kids,” said one person who worked on a youth program linked to the show. Those who knew her said she had talked about opportunities but was focused on raising her son and staying close to relatives in central New Jersey.
By late Tuesday, officials had not announced a funeral date. A small memorial of flowers formed near the front steps of the home as a single patrol car idled on the block. Inside, the last of the evidence markers were photographed and bagged before technicians cleared the scene. Prosecutors said the next public milestone is a detention hearing, expected after the holiday, when the court will consider arguments about risk and release conditions while the homicide case moves toward grand jury review.
Author note: Last updated December 24, 2025.