Eight-Year-Old Girl Dies After Contracting Brain-Eating Amoeba While Swimming in Lake

An 8-year-old Louisiana girl has died after contracting an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that health officials believe she encountered while swimming in a lake.

Lillian Smart, of Ruston, died over the weekend after battling an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba found in warm freshwater.

Her death came shortly after her eighth birthday and just days after she was hospitalized on Aug. 15.

Lillian’s devastated parents, Daniel and Rebecca Smart, announced their daughter’s death in an emotional message shared publicly Sunday.

“Last night Lillian ran from our arms to the arms of Jesus,” they wrote.

Her family said the damage to Lillian’s brain had become too severe for her body to recover despite doctors doing everything they could to save her.

The Louisiana Department of Health said the infection was most likely contracted while Lillian was swimming in Lake Claiborne in northern Louisiana, about 30 miles northwest of Ruston.

Naegleria fowleri lives naturally in warm freshwater, including lakes, rivers, ponds and canals.

Infection happens when contaminated water enters a person’s nose, allowing the amoeba to travel to the brain and cause a devastating illness known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM.

The infection cannot be contracted simply by swallowing contaminated water, and it does not spread from person to person.

PAM is extraordinarily rare but almost always fatal.

Only about 180 confirmed Naegleria fowleri infections were reported in the United States between 1937 and 2025, according to Louisiana health officials.

The amoeba tends to thrive in warm freshwater, particularly when water temperatures rise above roughly 77 degrees.

Cases have historically been most common during the summer months in southern states, although infections have occasionally appeared farther north.

Symptoms can initially resemble other illnesses and may include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting.

The infection can then progress rapidly, leading to severe brain swelling, seizures, confusion and coma.

Lillian’s family had previously said she was suffering from significant brain swelling caused by the infection.

Her illness quickly rallied the Ruston community around her.

Local residents and businesses organized support and fundraising efforts, including a “Love for Lillian” fundraiser held shortly before her death.

Those who knew Lillian remembered her as a joyful little girl who seemed to carry a smile wherever she went.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also reacted to her death, saying he was “heartbroken” by the news.

The case is believed to be Louisiana’s first confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection since 2013.

Health officials stress that infections remain extremely uncommon despite the amoeba being naturally present in many warm freshwater environments.

There is also no routine environmental test that can reliably determine whether a particular lake or section of water contains dangerous levels of Naegleria fowleri.

For Lillian’s family, however, the statistics offer little comfort.