CORNWALL, Vt. (WCAX) - WCAX has now confirmed the body found in a Cornwall field on Thursday was missing Middlebury College student Lia Smith.

Smith, a 21-year-old senior from Woodside, California, was last seen on campus on Friday and was reported missing on Sunday.

Vermont State Police, Middlebury Police, and other agencies converged Thursday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. after they say a body was discovered in an area near The Knoll, an organic farm just west of the college’s campus.

An autopsy confirmed her identity on Friday. Police say Smith died by suicide.

Copyright 2025 WCAX. All rights reserved.

See Full Page