We've made no secret about what our goal is. She tells police Stephen was going to school in Orangeburg and hung out at Bobcat Landing a lot recently. According to the investigation file, Buster was rumored to have been linked to Stephen intimately but detectives never proved this connection. His head was misshapen by blunt force. Well keep you updated if and when we hear anything. 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. She said shortly after Stephens death that believes her son was beaten to death and the crime covered up. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 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. 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. The boating incident also revived questions about the 2015 hit-and-run death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who was found dead on a rural road about 10 miles from the Murdaugh family's home . Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. He doesnt deserve that. In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Sandy Smith said she was grateful that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), handing the Murdaugh investigation, and the Attorney General's Office have provided "some closure" in the deaths. 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 Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015. Multi-Action Disciplinary Team case notes obtained by Inside Edition Digital through a Freedom of Information Act request offer insight from the night Stephen Smith was killed. His death was ruled a hit-and-run, but his mother Sandy Smith, who attended Sunday's unveiling, has long suspected he was murdered. A SCHP flyer is made asking for tips in the case. At the time of his death, Paul was awaiting trial after being charged with several felonies in connection to the deadly crash, including boating under the influence. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. Allen, of the SCHP, telling him about a possible hit and run on Sandy Run Road. Im just sitting here like why? It makes no sense, she said. Stephen Smith's body was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County on July 8, 2015. Last Sunday afternoon, family and friends of Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teen who died under mysterious circumstances in 2015, traveled to the Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County, S.C. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 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. Frantic Families Trapped in Their Homes and Running Out of Food After Massive Snowstorm Cripples California, 3 Female Bodybuilders Say League Owner's Son Sexually Exploited Them While Their Careers Hung in the Balance, Innocent Michigan Man, 71, Walks Free After 2 Decades in Prison Thanks to True Crime Coverage of His Case, Lindsay Clancy: Timeline of Events in the Case of Massachusetts Mom Accused of Killing Her 3 Children, Abby Choi Case: Police Scour Landfill Searching for Dismembered Model's Missing Torso, Hands and Arms, 2 Missing Women Found Alive by Maine Game Wardens After Being Stuck in Their Car in Freezing Temperatures. It was also clear from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP. Moore instructs him to immediately stop their preparations on the body and cover him up. Moore tells Rowell to go get the clothing. The19-year-old was found lying in the middle of the roadway with severe head traumain the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. (WTOC/Provided) Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head. It was determined that the wound in the victims head was not caused by a fired projectile., The pathologist stated that it appeared the victim was struck by a vehicle., Tallon contacted Singleton to tell him SCHP would need to be contacted to investigate, They collect the Gun Shot Residue (GSR) kit from MUSC, Cause of death: Blunt head trauma due to motor vehicle crash, 7.25-inch laceration on the right side of Stephens forehead along with bruises on both sides of his forehead, Right side of skull has multiple fractures, bruising and contusions, He has smalls cuts on the inside of his left arm, He has cuts and bruises on his right hand, He has cuts on his right arm, including a 6-inch irregular cut on inside of right arm, 12 3-inch aggregate of irregular to angulated abrasions on right arm, Smalls tells him that the doctor was ruling it a motor vehicle accident and they were turning it over to us., Moore then calls Singleton and asks for any notes or information he had.. Want to contact Mandy? After his autopsy, however, Smith's death was ruled a hit-and-run. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. In fairness, SLED didnt investigate Stephens case because it was dubiously ruled a hit and run. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. Stephens relative didnt believe the person who said they were dating Stephen and said the family was skeptical of him. According to law enforcement at the time, his death was the consequence of a hit-and-run. Murdaugh murders: Cops clueless about motive, refuse to release 911 call details Another deceased person's name has reemerged in the case - Stephen Smith, a gay man from Hampton who died in 2015. Is Mother and Son Murder Connected to Death of Woman in Drunken Boat Crash. 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. On Thursday, Sandy Smith said she received a call from an official with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Hampton County Coroners Office: The first of 3 death certificates for Stephen Smith was issued by Washington to the family. "I know that they're working hard and that this is not a cold case," he says. Moore tells him to make sure that the coroner and HCSO are also ruling it a homicide. 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.. In June, SLED announced that they planned to exhume her body. May be bigger ponds, lakes n oceans with bigger fish, but life sure is good when you're top of the food chain, in these swamps. His loosely tied shoes were still on and his clothes appeared untouched. 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, her death was classified as an accidental slip and fall, but authorities have reopened the investigation. Hes never said anything bad about Stephen. 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 . Sandy told FITSNews shes still clinging to hope even after Thursdays heart-wrenching news. 5:37 a.m. SCHP: Sgt. Smith's body was found nearly three miles from where his car was left and case notes said that "the gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging on the side of the vehicle.". His death was officially ruled a hit-and-run, but deep gashes to his head suggested to some he was beaten to death. 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 Murdaughs, as big and powerful and rich as everyone thinks they are theyre going to go on living their lives like nothing (happened), Proctor said. According to the autopsy, Greene was responsible for evidence transfer in the case. Got a tip for a story? The final autopsy report said that Stephens cause of death was blunt head trauma, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian vs. vehicle. The key is turned over to HCSO personnel. It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined, The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made, Proctor wrote. 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. It was still unclear at this time if this hole was caused by a projectile. On July 22, 2015, Proctor visited Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. SLED agents noted minor injuries to victims left arm, left hand and head. She tells him that she and Tallon were called at 6:10 a.m. by HCSO and that they arrived on scene at 9 a.m. Burke said she didnt think Stephens injury looked like a gunshot wound. You go back to the Murdaugh name and their ties in that community, and that dont matter to me What weve done is take that investigation out of that and their reach I dont care what your name is and how much money you got., He then said Im not saying that the Murdaugh boy did it., But if were going to be throwing out names, Im not going to be withholding names, Proctor wrote. As I was leaving she stated that the report was preliminary and it was my job to figure out what struck him, not hers, Proctor wrote. He was found dead in mysterious circumstances in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. Todd Proctor, former. 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. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. 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. 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. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. In January 2023, it was confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing. 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. He was in school for nursing at the time of his death. However, Randy said in the 20/20 documentary that he knew of "no connection whatsoever" between the Murdaugh family and Stephen Smiths death. Sandy says shes skeptical of the man claiming to be Stephens boyfriend. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run, Proctor said. Smiths mother, Sandy Smith, agrees. The vehicle doors were locked. SCHP: Duncan talks to Stephens family and they reject the ruling that Stephen would have been hit by a car. Even after the eight-year veteran enhanced his postseason legend with another prolific stretch . One of those deaths? I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was because he was found in the road,' Proctor wrote. The case of Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. They found engine oil in the vehicle but could not get the car to start. She told FITSNews this week that SLED came to her house to tell her they were opening an investigation. 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). Keep in mind, this isyearsbefore Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies in the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. Stephen was beloved. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. This database currently consists of unsolved homicides from 50 Florida counties, 46 U.S. states, and 3 international countries. 11:29 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke attend autopsy at MUSC. So Moore calls Smalls again and gets voicemail. 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. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? He was taken to a . 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. Randy "said he wanted to take the case and it would be free of charge, Stephanie said. 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. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. "And it's amazing to be a part of that and to see it. Its also unclear if the MAIT team ever examined Stephens phone, which was tossed between agencies before it was finally unlocked by the FBI several years after his death. Smith had a head wound consistent with being shot, the coroner explained in a report. SCHP: Moore instructs Rowell to go back to the scene and make sure the body had been marked and to start looking for debris in both directions. In 2019, a boat operated by Paul Murdaugh crashed against a bridge pylon, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach and seriously injuring two other passengers. State police reopen hit-and-run death investigation from details gathered in Murdaugh case. Smith, 19, of Hampton, was found dead in the middle of a rural road in Hampton County in 2015, three miles from where his car had run out of gas, investigators said, WIS, The Augusta Chronicle,. 5:18 a.m. SCHP: Booker notifies Cpl. 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. Mandy Matneyis the news director at FITSNews. They just throw their cases on a shelf to collect dust.. In the letter, she said that they were told that the Murdaugh brothers were involved in her sons death. 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. 6:25 a.m. SCHP: Moore arrives at the scene and speaks with Hampton County Coroner Ernie Washington, who tells him it is a homicide. The statements are the latest to be revealed in court filings by Dominion as part of its billion-dollar defamation suit against the . 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. CLICK HERE. 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. Alex Murdaugh, Paul's father and . 2. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? 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. 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. At first, when police arrived, they suspected his death was a result of a hit-and-run. 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. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. "My hope is that she finds answers that will give her a little bit of peace," she adds. One of the guys that supposedly did this, Stephen told his twin sister that he had a fling with the boy, she said. Got a tip for a story? The final autopsy report said that Stephens cause of death was blunt head trauma, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian vs. vehicle. He tells them to meet him at the funeral home. 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. Smalls called him and told him that the autopsy showed Smiths death a result of a hit and run. Stay tuned for part two of the investigation file. 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. He stated he would have to go with the doctors ruling, Moore wrote. CLICK HERE. Sandy Smith, speaking to the Guardian shortly after her sons July 8, 2015, death, said that she thinks she knows who killed him. 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