part of an apparent hit and run. Hampton County Coroners Office: The first of 3 death certificates for Stephen Smith was issued by Washington to the family. Keep in mind, this isyearsbefore Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies in the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. On July 22, 2015, Proctor visited Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. The Murdaugh family has loomed large in the Lowcountry for nearly a century with three generations of its members serving as solicitor (South Carolinas version of a district attorney) over a five-county region between 1920 and 2007. His head was misshapen by blunt force. A wooden memorial erected for Stephen Nicholas Smith, 19, who was found dead on a country road in 2015. The Murdaugh case also prompted police to open an investigation into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old found dead in the same county, less than 10 miles away. One of those deaths? 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. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). "He wouldve called somebody.. The official cause of death at the time was that Smith, 19, died from a hit and run. Following Killings of S.C. The Hampton County Coroner's office authorized the autopsy. 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. . 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. 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. The family was skeptical of Randy Murdaughs offer and thought it was weird. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. To submit your loved one for . 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. 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. 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. Sandy Smith told FITSNews that SLED is investigating her sons death as a homicide which is something she wishes they did six years ago. Sandy has been begging law enforcement officials for years to open an investigation into her sons unsolved death. Andrews, who helped raise more than $40,000 for the headstone and for a scholarship in Stephen's name, says she's thankful for all the worldwide support Sandy has received in her fight for answers. She told me it was not her job to figure that out, it was mine., 6:14 p.m. SCHP: Brock notifies Booker that the victim did not have a gunshot wound according to the autopsy. Booker contacts Burns and Moore to gather further information. The timeline (below) shows a sketch of how officials came to the decision to rule the death a hit and run and how that decision appeared to confuse nearly everyone involved. 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). The key located in the victims pocket was used to open the vehicle. 12:30 p.m. MUSC autopsy report: Dr. Erin Presnell begins the autopsy on Stephen. 9 a.m. SCHP: Booker meets at Peeples Rhoden Funeral Home with Moore, Duncan, Rowell and Burke to examine the body. Im telling you man to man I didnt kill him.. (Assisted suicide explained). Then he was beat up, so the story just kept changing over and over," said Sandra Smith, Stephen's mother, this week. 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.. Stephens life mattered, too.. He said another investigator had already had, from (his) understanding a heated conversation with her about this issue.. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. 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. Earlier this week, the agency opened up a tip line exclusively for the high-profile case. 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. "And it's amazing to be a part of that and to see it. 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. 1:43 p.m. SLED: Agents leave MUSC and take evidence to their forensic laboratory. The coroner searches through the victims clothing and located a vehicle key in the victims front left pocket. 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. SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. And now a retired South Carolina state trooper, who led the investigation into Smiths death, told Fox News he had long suspected the case to have been a murder. 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 . Moore calls Croft to ask which agents were at the scene that morning. They were very withdrawn with what they knew or thought.. is not perfect, but the information is straight from the 100+ page case file. Stephens massive head wound along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body stumped investigators on scene. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Stephen Smith's body was found in the middle of a rural road, Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex, all members of the prominent Murdaugh family, Mallory Beach died after a boating accident in 2019, Murdaugh familys link to Stephen Smiths death probed in explosive 20/20 doc & teens twin speaks out, Murdaugh family latest - Mallory Beach's parents reveal harrowing moment they 'knew she was dead' in 20/20 documentary, I won a $1.6million lottery jackpot after listening to my mom's advice - here's how she helped me win my fortune, Shock discovery of 90 peoples' remains found in abandoned church linked to man charged with abusing rotting corpses, Terrifying moment skier George McQuinn is knocked unconscious in brutal crash and slides face-first across finish line, UKs bird flu 'patient zero' is distraught after being told he cannot keep ducks for a year, Endangered elephants scavenge for food in dump increasing fears for their welfare, Prince Andrew 'fears being left completely BROKE' as he fights sex allegations as 'private citizen', I woke up from a five-week Covid coma and met my baby son for the first time, Tell your stories of meeting The Queen as we prepare to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. She stated they told the Sheriff and Coroner and that they didnt believe it to be a gunshot wound. They found engine oil in the vehicle but could not get the car to start. SCHP: Moore calls Singleton again when Singleton doesnt call him back. Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. In June, SLED announced that they planned to exhume her body. Ready to watch a new true crime docuseries thatll make your head spin? Stephens relative didnt believe the person who said they were dating Stephen and said the family was skeptical of him. Hemlepp tells PEOPLE: "I know there are people who know what happened to Stephen. "My son will be 18 in November, and I just couldn't imagine in six years that no one had come to Stephen's mom's aid for memorializing her son," Andrews says. Moore asks about any other injuries on Smith, and Presnell tells him only a partial dislocated right shoulder., He asks Presnell if she found any glass fragments or any other evidence of a motor vehicle and she stated no., I then asked her why she was ruling it as a motor vehicle accident and what she thought caused the head injury, he wrote. 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. Six years later, Stephens case is still unsolved. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is now streaming on Netflix, telling the story of the wealthy Murdaugh family in South Carolina. His car was discovered three miles away with the gas cap off. Michael E. Duncan of the incident. So they can play that card like they care about everyone else. CLICK HERE. But eight years later, a new investigation says otherwise, with Smith as the subject of the new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Todd Proctor, former. "I just couldn't believe it," she said. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. Hes never been around Stephen., When asked who told her that she said Stephens friend, another kid who she named, and a couple other people.. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? 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. "My hope is that she finds answers that will give her a little bit of peace," she adds. He offers to give the officers his phone and take a lie detector test. "Sandy and I both believe that this was a murder. But Sandy Smith told the Hampton County Guardian, as reported in the Augusta Chronicle, that there was no glass or plastic shards on the road where Stephens body was found nothing that would indicate the young man was hit in the head by a mirror. In the aftermath of her sons death, Sandy said shes learned that there are two different justice systems in the Palmetto State one for people like the Murdaughs and another for everyone else. 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. Investigators had said at the time that it appeared Smith was hit by a . Stephen died on the eighth of July. The statements are the latest to be revealed in court filings by Dominion as part of its billion-dollar defamation suit against the . She just wants to know who was responsible for murdering her child. What's the latest update on Stephen Smith's murder? Stephens relative tells him that she just officially left the house for the first time since Stephens death the day before and went to the store and a bunch of people kept coming up to her saying Did you know the Murdaugh Boys are behind it, saying Buster Murdaugh the, one we went to school with did it, and some of his friends.. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . The 19-year-old had his skull partially crushed and his shoulder dislocated. They took him from his car; everybody knew his car because he had the ugliest little banana [car] in town. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. Rowell did not make a note of the Murdaugh tip in his written notes. Despite the lack of tire marks or automobile debris, investigators ruled his death a hit-and-run accident. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. But her dad was "a little iffy on accepting the offer. 6:00 a.m. SCHP: Duncan, on the way to the scene, calls Booker said he was told it appeared to be a homicide and SLED was taking it over. Booker says he was advised there was a possible gunshot wound to the victims head. MAIT takes photos of the body and Smiths clothes. A source close to the family also told FITSNews that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA. This did, however, cause theSouth Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open up the case in June 2021, but at this time it doesnt look like there have been any new developments since then. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. 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. SCHP: A man who describes himself as Stephens boyfriend (the family disputes this) was interviewed by Duncan and Rowell. And while South Carolina investigators havent said what evidence prompted them to open the investigation into Smiths death, Proctor told Fox that the Murdaugh name came up during the investigation and that the family was not particularly cooperative. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off. Todd Proctor told Fox News in an exclusivetelevisioninterview. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. You become invincible in a way and you get a little liquor and you think youre untouchable.. Moore then Walked the scene and saw no evidence of any car parts or pieces and then had all units clear the scene.. Allen, of the SCHP, telling him about a possible hit and run on Sandy Run Road. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Smith was released on bond and now faces six felony charges in the shooting of Alex Murdaugh. She tells police Stephen was going to school in Orangeburg and hung out at Bobcat Landing a lot recently. At first, when police arrived, they suspected his death was a result of a hit-and-run. 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. 5:57 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls King to advise him what was occurring.. Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. Sandy says shes skeptical of the man claiming to be Stephens boyfriend. 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. At the time of his death, Smith was a 19-year-old Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College student who was studying to become a nurse. His wallet was inside the car. M.D. Got a tip for a story? She said there appeared to be missing evidence in the case such as the DNA under Stephens fingernails, the clothes he was wearing, and the rape kit. Thank you, God!. 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 Coroner Ernie Washington. Cops investigating the double murder have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies Mallory Beach, 19, died in . Proctor then spoke with Kelly 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. After receiving a search warrant, agents searched the area and the vehicle, the SLED report said. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. Sandy Smith was told that if she wanted her sons case to be looked at by SLED, she would have to write a letter. He was in school for nursing at the time of his death. She said Stephen had been recently cutting school, which was unusual for him. No other evidence was located at the scene, the SLED agent wrote. Murdaugh Murders: Where is Buster Murdaugh now? He was taken to a . 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. Prior to leaving the scene, agents discussed their findings and completed a walkthrough with Inv. The forensic pathologist who. 11:29 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke attend autopsy at MUSC. "He had his cell phone, he was six miles from the house," she insisted. 2. 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. Crime scene photos obtained by FITSNews are horrific Stephens entire face was covered in blood that cascaded from a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead. Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. SCHP: Moore calls Mitch Altman and tells him to go to the scene and see if he can find any debris. Sandy told Duncan that she heard rumors about the Murdaugh boys had something to do with Stephens death. This database currently consists of unsolved homicides from 50 Florida counties, 46 U.S. states, and 3 international countries. State investigators have released scant information on the case including an 18-page redacted report with nearly 8 pages fully redacted. Murdaugh Murders: What happened to Gloria Satterfield? 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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". The Murdaugh familys ties to the legal system sparked questions about whether the investigation into Mallory's death was done properly. Tallon notes that an EMS worker stated that a projectile wound was located on the victims head the HCCO moved the victim prior to SLED Crime Scene arrival.. Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. "At that point, I hadbeen working highway patrol for 15 years, I've worked several hit and run collisions, and nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run," Inv. Yes. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. 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. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015 .