Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. Moore tells him to go to the scene and sit there between 3 and 5 a.m. to document what type of traffic was moving at that time in the morning. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? This decision to rule his death a hit-and-run appeared to skew the investigation by SCHPs Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) who typically investigate accidents, not murders. MAIT investigators cited multiple times in case notes and incidentreports obtained by Inside Edition Digital that Smith's death appeared to be a homicide and said the wound on his skull to be consistent with a gunshot wound. Stephens family member didnt seem to believe this at the time. The forensic pathologist who. She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off. The killings also led the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open an investigation into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old man whose body was found in a road 10 miles from. Whoever did this to Stephen should go to prison. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015. RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. In September 2016, Stephens mother Sandy Smith wrote a letter to lawmakers and police agencies pleading for help and claiming corruption in the investigation. Others in the community reached out to Sandy with rumors that a "Murdaugh boy" may be involved with her son's death. To be fair, police appeared to be pursuing other persons of interest as well and never named anyone as a suspect. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. Stephen was not stupid, Stephens friend told FITSNews. He said he would take Stephens case free of charge. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. According to court documents, Alex . The notes reveal the timeline of investigative measures taken from the momentSmith's body was found July 8, 2015, through December of that year. The former S.C. Highway Patrol trooper had recently told several media outlets that Stephen Smith's 2015 death was likely a murder staged to look like a hit-and-run. She said they were adamant it was a gunshot wound, so they mapped the scene and began to gather evidence as they would normally do.. They took him from his car; everybody knew his car because he had the ugliest little banana [car] in town. The spokesperson did not say what information SLED had gathered that led the agency to open its own investigation into Stephen's death. Sadly, the latest update in the Stephen Smith case came back in 2021, but with Alex Murdaugh on trial and with the release ofMurdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, were crossing our fingers we hear more developments soon. 6:08 a.m. SCHP: Moore is advised by Allen that MAIT is en route and that Allen is almost at the scene. And before too long, some of them including the Murdaugh family stopped cooperating at all, he said. SLEDs inquiry into the Smith family does not mean its agents believe they had anything to do with the deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. (latest case updates), Murdaugh Murders: Was Paul Murdaugh charged for Mallory Beachs death? Smith's body was found on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road, near Hampton. Mandy Matneyis the news director at FITSNews. Families, entire communities are still reeling . Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. The coroner stated that he had made contact with the pathologist, Dr. Presnell and she stated that she would be willing to change her report to read however he wanted it, Proctor wrote. The gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging on the side of the vehicle. In the summer of 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of a rural highway in South Carolina. The Murdaugh name was mentioned over 40 times throughout the course of the investigation which went cold less than a year after Smith was killed. These boys were coming from a baseball game and I think that they were right behind him, so when he had to pull over, they were right there. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). His death was ruled a hit-and-run, but his mother Sandy Smith, who attended Sunday's unveiling, has long suspected he was murdered. The Hampton community is hoping a suspect can be identified, after 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead on Sandy Run Road in an apparent hit and run. According to law enforcement at the time, his death was the consequence of a hit-and-run. SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. The doctor ruled out a gunshot wound and said it was possible the injury was a result of the impact from theside-view mirror of a semi-truck. Alex Murdaugh is currently in jail, on a $7 million bond that he has yet to meet, facing 51 charges for financial crimes, and multiple lawsuits. It began June 7, when the pretty, college-sweetheart wife and son of Alex Murdaugh, a prominent and powerful lawyer who knows everyone in town, were brutally gunned down at their hunting lodge in . Sandy Smith was told that if she wanted her sons case to be looked at by SLED, she would have to write a letter. "Sandy and I both believe that this was a murder. South Carolina state investigators have opened an investigation into a fatal 2015 hit-and-run case based on information gleaned from the investigation into the murders of two members of a prominent South Carolina family. The grammar, spelling, etc. 2. Todd Proctor, former South Carolina Highway Patrol investigator, told Fox News this week that it looked like Stephens body was placed in the middle of the road. SCHP: Moore calls Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home and speaks with a funeral home director. Like the probe of the2019 boat crashthat killedMallory Beach, the 2015 investigation into Smiths death was chaotic from the beginning clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference. Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of the road outside of Hampton with a gaping head wound, his skull partially crushed and his shoulder dislocated. Photo: Facebook. HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The mother of a 19-year-old found dead in 2015 said the grand jury indictment of former Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh in the killings of his own wife and son gives her hope for justice for her son's case. ", Hemlepp says SLED investigators have "been engaging in regular communication with Sandy.". Investigators reported he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, despite police reports . 3 Stephen Smith's body was found in the middle of a rural road Credit: Facebook 3 Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex, all members of the prominent Murdaugh family Credit: Facebook The investigation was opened "based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh," a SLED spokesperson said. Todd Proctor, former. Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team, told Fox News in an exclusivetelevisioninterview, Maggie Murdaugh's Cellphone Was Found Near Roadside Away From Crime Scene, Sources Reportedly Say, SLED Will Investigate Stephen Smith 2015 Death, Citing Emerging Details in Paul and Maggie Murdaugh Killings, New Redacted Report on Murdaugh Homicide Case Released. Im telling you man to man I didnt kill him.. In fairness, SLED didnt investigate Stephens case because it was dubiously ruled a hit and run. SCHP: Moore calls Mitch Altman and tells him to go to the scene and see if he can find any debris. Allen informs Moore that it is a homicide, not a hit and run. A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years' jail for a hit-and-run crash that left cyclist and Perth university professor Thomas Lyons, with a serious and ongoing brain injury . Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths, Murdaugh Murders: Did Alex Murdaugh hire someone to kill him? Murdaugh Murders: What happened to Gloria Satterfield? CLICK HERE. Tallon and Burke take photos and notes and make a sketch with measurements (see below). Gloria Satterfield, who worked for the Murdaugh family for more than 20 years, died at the Murdaugh home in February 2018. Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. The old way of doing business in Hampton does not exist anymore. What's the latest update on Stephen Smith's murder? The driver reportedly told police he first thought Smithwas an animal, but took a second glance and noticed "a white male lying in the middle of the road.". They called me back and said they were looking into Stephens case because they have to see if my family is involved in the shooting of Paul and Maggie (Murdaugh), Sandy Smith said. One of those deaths? 8:22 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Burke. HAMPTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A new headstone for Stephen Smith was unveiled at the Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County Sunday. Sunday's vigil was held just days after news broke that disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges in connection with the June 2021 deaths of his wife Maggie, 52, and 22-year-old son Paul. SCHP: Moore, Rowell, Booker and Duncan go to Sandy Run Road to document the scene and looked for any evidence at the scene for approximately 100 yards in both directions. Since the murders of Paul Murdaugh, 22, and Maggie Murdaugh 52, the State Law Enforcement Division, the agency that has been investigating the homicides, announced that it will now be investigating the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith. 9:18 a.m. SLED: Agents release the scene to HCSO personnel and leave. And anyone who knows anything needs to come forward. In early June, a son and mother, both members of a. He asks the funeral home director if he has the clothing Smith was wearing and is told it was in a paper bag with the body. They just dont care about the poor people who cant afford to hire a big-time attorney or private investigators, Sandy said. She said Stephen had been recently cutting school, which was unusual for him. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is now streaming on Netflix, telling the story of the wealthy Murdaugh family in South Carolina. What a slap in the face.. She also said she believed that the Murdaughs influence extended to all realms of the investigation and was initially tainted when it was ruled a hit-and-run incident (see below for part of Sandy Smiths letter). According to Live 5 News, the Murdaugh family is mentioned several times in the investigative files of Stephen Smith, who died by hit-and-run in July 2015. (WTOC/Provided) Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. Allen, of the SCHP, telling him about a possible hit and run on Sandy Run Road. So Moore calls Smalls again and gets voicemail. Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. No homicide investigation was ever opened, and no referral was ever made to the agency in the case. He was taken to a . It was still unclear at this time if this hole was caused by a projectile. For more than two decades, she had served as the family housekeeper and nanny. There, they listened to gospel songs, speeches and unveiled a new headstone for the 19-year-old's grave, which is close to the spot where his father, who died three months after his son, is buried. RELATED | Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation. Netflix 2023. Kacen Bayless/AP At the time, police said Smith had a massive head wound and they. In August 2015, the coroner told Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. His wallet was inside the car. Is Mother and Son Murder Connected to Death of Woman in Drunken Boat Crash. State police said information they gathered in the Murdaugh investigations also led them to review what was initially reported as the hit-and-run death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith in Hampton . Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of a country road 15 miles from the Murdaugh family's Islandton hunting lodge on July 8, 2015. 4:30 a.m. Tuesday: Sandy Smith, mother of Stephen Smith, who was found dead on a rural Hampton County road in 2015, is feeling vindicated, finally, for her instincts. Names and stories of the Murdaugh family surfaced six years ago regarding the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, a young gay man found dead in the middle of a lonely rural road with several deep gashes in his head, but investigators said they were never able to directly connect anyone in the family to the incident. "And it's amazing to be a part of that and to see it. At another point in the investigation, Proctor appeared frustrated that local sources were hesitant and scared to speak of the Murdaughs to police. Hampton County Coroners Office: The first of 3 death certificates for Stephen Smith was issued by Washington to the family. Investigators found Smiths car three miles away on the side of Bamberg Highway. Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, she said. Alex Murdaugh Pauls father and Maggies husband is said to have discovered the bodies that evening after returning to the property. He was an openly gay young man in the small town of Hampton, South Carolina, which wasnt easy, but he made the best of it, his friends told FITSNews. For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. . The family keeps his casket open so that people could see what they did to him. The victim was covered with a sheet., A hole in the skull was located above the victims right eye, SLED agents wrote. (wrongful death lawsuit updates). SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. Sandy mentions that a man at Bi-Lo was giving Stephen trouble, but they became friends. 4:07 a.m. HCSO: Michael Bridges, of the Hampton County Sheriffs Office, responds to scene first (although there are conflicting reports about what time he arrived). That would be Stephen Smith, a gay teenager who was found dead in the street inHampton County. Hours later, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Dr. Erin Presnell ruled that Stephen was killed in a hit-and-run accident, a decision which was met with confusion and skepticism by investigators and those who knew Stephen. Prior to leaving the scene, agents discussed their findings and completed a walkthrough with Inv. Stephens massive head wound along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body stumped investigators on scene. SLED is simply looking at anyone who may have had a possible motive in the case including the survivors of a high-profile February 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-oldMallory Beach. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders and the Ongoing Drama Surrounding Dad Alex Murdaugh, Hampton County Detention Center/AP/Shutterstock, Alex Murdaugh Allegedly Lured Wife to Cabin On Night She Was Killed and She Texted Friend It Seemed 'Fishy', Everything to Know About the Murdaugh Family Murders, Including Details of Allegations Against Alex, Alex Murdaugh's Slain Son Paul Allegedly Strangled Ex-Girlfriend in 2017, She Says in Netflix Documentary, Investigators Will Exhume Body of Murdaugh Family Housekeeper Who Died Under Mysterious Circumstances. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found A Slap In the Face: Update In The Stephen Smith Case And Murdaugh Murders, Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation, Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family, Apparent Human Trafficking Raid Jolts Coastal South Carolina Neighborhood, Murdaugh Murders: South Carolina Attorney General Must Step In And Remove Rogue Solicitor, Powerful Storms, Tornadoes Sweep Through SC: Photos From The Upstate to Lowcountry, SC State House: Speaker Of The House Livid After Close Friend Loses Primary Fight, Mark Powells Palmetto Past & Present: Lost Confederate Gold, Ron Paul: The Anti-War Movement Roars Back To Life, LIVE FEED Murdaugh Murders Trial: Day Twenty-Six. The victims right arm was covered in blood and agents were unable to see any injuries.. According to our sources, all of the boat crash survivors and Beachs family members voluntarily submitted to questioning and volunteered to provide their DNA as a part of the double homicide investigation. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. A man driving on the road that evening called police just before 5 a.m.to report a person lying in the roadside,according to police reports. The family member says that Stephen was recently acting secretive and started coming home late. As any investigator, you go off of the evidence there was no evidence that pointed towards this being a hit and run, or a vehicle even being involved in it. In light of historical information and the autopsy findings, it is the opinion of the pathologist that the decedent died as the result of blunt head trauma sustained in a motor vehicle crash in which the decedent was a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, the autopsy report says. 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