According to law enforcement at the time, his death was the consequence of a hit-and-run. Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! David Rowell, of the SCHP, who tells him that Hampton County Sheriff T.C. 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. I guarantee you that Stephen was not in that road, she said. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run, Proctor said. The two were shot and killed in June 2021. "When they told me hit and run I said that's impossible because Stephen wouldn't have been walking in the road to start with. Editors Note: The timeline below is an outline of an investigation shared for the purpose of full disclosure as the case is getting attention from sleuths across the country. As if all of the foregoing wasn't wild enough, apparently, information gathered from the Murdaugh double murder investigation has prompted law enforcement to reopen a case regarding the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? Then, the coroner ruled the death a shooting homicide forcing investigators to search the rural road carved between a tree line and a corn field. After Paul and Maggie Murdaugh's murders, SLED announced that their investigation had led them to look into Stephen's death. The grammar, spelling, etc. Got a tip for a story? Stay tuned for part two of the investigation file. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. There's a bright light being shined on that county. July 10, 2015, SCHP: Stephens Clothes and iPhone sent to SLED, 5 p.m.: Stephens wake is held at the Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home chapel in Hampton on Mulberry Street East. Six years later, Sandy Smith Stephens mother is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son. Investigators had said at the time that it appeared Smith was hit by a . Moore asks Burke if she can come to the funeral home the next morning., 5:50 a.m. SCHP: Moore calls Rowell and Payne and tells them to go back to the scene to locate and debris or anything out of the ordinary.. Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, the 2015 investigation into Smiths death was chaotic from the beginning clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference. The19-year-old was found lying in the middle of the roadway with severe head traumain the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. His wallet was inside the car. Todd Proctor, S.C. Highway Patrol's lead investigator in the 2015 Stephen Smith case, tells multiple news outlets that he still doesn't believe Smith died as a result of a hit-and-run. To be fair, police appeared to be pursuing other persons of interest as well and never named anyone as a suspect. The victim was covered with a sheet., A hole in the skull was located above the victims right eye, SLED agents wrote. And when you dont have enough evidence to compel someone legally to speak with you you have to go off their willingness to speak to you.. Upon entering the scene, agents observed that the scene was secured by HCSO personnel and yellow barrier tape, the SLED agent wrote. On July 8, 2015 Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road with a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead and no other major injuries. State police reopen hit-and-run death investigation from details gathered in Murdaugh case. It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. She stated they told the Sheriff and Coroner and that they didnt believe it to be a gunshot wound. 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. Rumors and speculation have surrounded Stephen Smith's death on July 8, 2015, when the 19-year-old's body was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County with deep gashes to the head just. CLICK HERE. One theory posits that Stephen ran out of gas and decided to walk home when he was clipped by a semi truck, but Stephen's mother Sandy Smith discounted that hypothesis in the 20/20 documentary. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015. At first, when police arrived, they suspected his death was a result of a hit-and-run. But Smith's family refuses to believe it was an accident. At the time of his death, Smith was a 19-year-old Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College student who was studying to become a nurse. But a former state trooper who worked on Smith's case told Fox News last week that he still believes Smith's death might have been a homicide,and not a vehicle collision like the autopsy report said. It was also clear from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP. Duncan does not include this in his casenotes. Washington tells him its been taken to the funeral home per the familys wishes at the time of the death notification.. In the documentary, Randy said, I knew who Stephen Smith was and I knew his family.". Feb. 2, 2018: Gloria Satterfield, 57, falls at the Murdaugh family home on Moselle Road in Colleton County. What I ended up finding [was] there were a lot of people who didnt want to assist or communicate with us, he said. Source: YouTube/Law&Crime Network (video still) Buster Murdaugh His death was investigated by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety Or an issue youd like to address proactively? "There was no evidence of this being a hit and run. 10:30 a.m. SCHP: Moore notes that Washington told him that this is when Joel and Sandy Smith were notified of their sons death. (wrongful death lawsuit updates). Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, she said. Maybe there's even manufactured evidence in this case. Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother Maggie, 52, were found slain at their family's hunting lodge in Islandton on June 7 just after 10 p.m., according to reports. However, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina ruled the death caused by "blunt head trauma sustained in a motor vehicle crash," according to the final autopsy report. Proctor wrote that Presnell spoke in a negative tone and basically called (him) a liar when he said that hed already spoken to Hampton County CoronerErnie Washington. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. . In September 2016, Stephens mother Sandy Smith wrote a letter to lawmakers and police agencies pleading for help and claiming corruption in the investigation. They search the area for cartridge cases. Mallory Beach's parents also spoke out in the 20/20 documentary, remembering their daughter who died after an accident involving a Murdaugh family boat. In the days after Stephen Smith was found dead on a Hampton County road, an autopsy was performed to determine the cause and manner of his death. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigator would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.. The man says that Stephen was harassed in his town and said people screwed with Stephens car battery. She said shortly after Stephens death that believes her son was beaten to death and the crime covered up. 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. 8:02 p.m. SCHP: Moore talks to Booker and explained the scenario to him. They decide to meet at the funeral home at 9 a.m. the next day and to ask SLED to meet them there. He tells them to meet him at the funeral home. Stephen's twin sister, Stephanie Smith, remembered the moment the coroner called her home about Stephen's death. He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. 5:15 a.m. SCHP: J.L.Booker, of SCHP, was notified by Lt. Bruce Brock, also of SCHP, of the incident. 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. He often had car troubles, but they had trouble imagining him walkingin the middle of the road, his family told Inside Edition Digital in an interview. SCHP: A man who describes himself as Stephens boyfriend (the family disputes this) was interviewed by Duncan and Rowell. That did not happen to my friend. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) received multiple tips in the aftermath of Smiths death linking his untimely demise to the Murdaugh family. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. SCHP detectives noted the cars gas cap was unscrewed and hanging outside of the gas cap door. 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. Even Dr. Erin Presnell, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), didnt give much information to police about what led her to decide a motor vehicle killed Stephen. (Is Outer Banks a real place?). The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . For the latest true crime and justice news,subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast: Attorney for Kristin Smarts Convicted Murderer Challenges Conviction 2 Weeks Before Sentencing, 4 Dead, Including 13-Year-Old Boy, in Suspected Murder-Suicide, Soft Swinging Mormon Mom TikToker Threw a Chair That Hit Her 5-Year-Old Daughter in Argument With Boyfriend, subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast. A mother knows her child, and my son would not do that," Sandy said. Sandy mentions that a man at Bi-Lo was giving Stephen trouble, but they became friends. Murdaugh's. FITSNews obtained all audio from the investigation file. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. That's not even the end of the story. 6:08 a.m. SCHP: Moore is advised by Allen that MAIT is en route and that Allen is almost at the scene. Years before Maggie and Paul were killed, there was another murder in South Carolina that also might have ties to the Murdaugh family. The vehicle was in park. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Stephen Smith Case Files: Why Was Hampton Teens Death Ruled A Hit And Run In 2015? The 19-year-old nursing student who had been a classmate of Buster Murdaugh at Wade Hampton High School was found dead with a head wound on Sandy Run. 8:25 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke arrive at the scene. Michael E. Duncan of the incident. I think its a situation when you grow up and your family is kinda high-profile and you get away withsome things because of your family name, Proctor said in 2015. Build your customFanSided TV email newsletter with news and analysis onNetflix and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. SLED is investigating every angle in the Murdaugh case something that Sandy wishes they would have done with Stephens death six years ago. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run.. RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. "I know that they're working hard and that this is not a cold case," he says. Stephen Smith, 19, died on a rural road in Hampton County, S.C., in 2015 in a controversial homicide that was officially ruled a hit-and-run. Stephens murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. 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. The case is being reexamined, partly because some Murdaugh family members were among those first on the scene. Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015. Sandy Smith told FITSNews that SLED is investigating her sons death as a homicide which is something she wishes they did six years ago. One of the guys that supposedly did this, Stephen told his twin sister that he had a fling with the boy, she said. The Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Low Country region of South Carolina.From 1920 to 2006, three members of the family consecutively served as solicitor (i.e., district attorney), in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the state's 14th circuit district, leading locals to call the five-county district, "Murdaugh Country". (Center) Alex Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. (latest case updates), Murdaugh Murders: Was Paul Murdaugh charged for Mallory Beachs death? Randy Murdaugh was the second person to call my dad after the coroner," Stephanie told ABC. Of course, the fact SLED is interviewing Sandy Smith means it is taking seriously the suggestion that the Murdaugh family may have had something to do with the death of her son. Proctor then spoke withKelly Greene, Hampton County deputy coroner and a SLED agent who both attended the autopsy and said they didnt make any reference to the pathologist about the victim being struck by a vehicle, only that he was found in the road. Mallory and Paul were part of a group of six teenagers who went out on the boat in 2019. M.D. 11:03 a.m. SCHP: Duncan travels to Hampton County and interviews a member of the Smith family at the DMV office (a substation for SCHP). Murdaugh Murders: Where is Buster Murdaugh now? 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. Moore, of SCHP, gets a call from Cpl. 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. They call him back to tell him they didnt find anything. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. Of course, the rumors began from there, with many speculating the Murdaugh family mightve killed Stephen. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. SCHP: Duncan talks to Stephens family and they reject the ruling that Stephen would have been hit by a car. Investigators reported he was the victim. He offers to give the officers his phone and take a lie detector test. "Sandy and I both believe that this was a murder. The Hampton County Coroner's office authorized the autopsy. 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