However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. Evidence in. "He's on my side . The vehicle was in park. The case is being reexamined, partly because some Murdaugh family members were among those first on the scene. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Her body was found seven days after the February 2019 boat crash. That's not even the end of the story. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. Murdaugh Murders: Family Releases Statement On $100,000 Reward, Latest Chapter Of Kathryn Dennis-Thomas Ravenel Custody Battle Features Change In Legal Lineup, #SC2018: Lindsey Graham Endorses Henry McMaster, 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, Washington points to wound on Smiths head and calls it a gunshot wound, showing Moore the entry point., Moore asked Greene if they were sure it was a homicide and their response was yes., Moore advises MAIT theyre no longer needed. She stated they told the Sheriff and Coroner and that they didnt believe it to be a gunshot wound. there was no evidence that pointed towards this being a hit and run or a vehicle even being involved in it," he continued. Shes an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. He stated he would have to go with the doctors ruling, Moore wrote. It was still unclear at this time if this hole was caused by a projectile. For six years, Smith. 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. To be fair, police appeared to be pursuing other persons of interest as well and never named anyone as a suspect. In September 2016, Stephens mother Sandy Smith wrote a letter to lawmakers and police agencies pleading for help and claiming corruption in the investigation. Smith died on a rural road in Hampton County in 2015, in what was ruled a hit-and-run. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? "As any investigator [does],you go off of the evidence. Murdaugh's. 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. He doesnt deserve people to think that.. Now, police investigating the shooting deaths of. The vehicle doors were locked. Tallon notes the weather was cloudy and 92 degrees. Officials couldnt nail down a cause or manner of death. "[Stephen's mother] has said it was from a broken heart," Susanne Andrews, the founder of #StandingforStephen, a group that raised funds for the headstone, tells PEOPLE. The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. He also said SLED has not contacted Proctor to assist in their investigationat the time of the interview. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . Well keep you updated if and when we hear anything. Paul Murdaugh,Alex's son and Randy's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death. 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. In the summer of 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of a rural highway in South Carolina. You become invincible in a way and you get a little liquor and you think youre untouchable.. Stephen's twin sister, Stephanie Smith, remembered the moment the coroner called her home about Stephen's death. The key located in the victims pocket was used to open the vehicle. 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. Allen informs Moore that it is a homicide, not a hit and run. After his autopsy, however, Smith's death was ruled a hit-and-run. Sandy says that Stephen was smart and a study person who was typically serious about school. 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. 3:57:43 a.m. Hampton County Communications: A man called 911 to report seeing a white male lying in the middle of Sandy Run Road. 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. After receiving a search warrant, agents searched the area and the vehicle, the SLED report said. Someone just left him in the middle of the road to die . SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. 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. He offers to give the officers his phone and take a lie detector test. Six years later, Sandy Smith Stephens mother is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son. 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. She said that it was not a gunshot wound and no bullet or fragments were found during the X-ray and that it didnt look like a bullet wound in her opinion and that since the body was found in the roadway, she could only theorize that it had to be a motor vehicle that caused the death, Moores note said. As SLED begins its probe into Stephens death, its important to look back on the 2015 investigation to see what went awry. Sandy Smith, speaking to the Guardian shortly after her sons July 8, 2015, death, said that she thinks she knows who killed him. Washington tells him its been taken to the funeral home per the familys wishes at the time of the death notification.. Maybe there's even manufactured evidence in this case. is not perfect, but the information is straight from the 100+ page case file. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. Yes. According to court documents, Alex . Earlier this week, FITSNews exclusively reported that South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) opened an investigation into the death of Stephen Smith a Hampton County teenager whose death has been unsolved since 2015. 9:18 a.m. SLED: Agents release the scene to HCSO personnel and leave. 5:15 a.m. SCHP: J.L.Booker, of SCHP, was notified by Lt. Bruce Brock, also of SCHP, of the incident. 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. So Moore calls Smalls again and gets voicemail. A source close to the family also told FITSNews that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA. The man says that Stephen was harassed in his town and said people screwed with Stephens car battery. Here is a look at the events surrounding his indictments:June 7, 2021: Murdaugh calls police to report his wife Maggie, 52, and their son Paul, 22, have been fatally shot near a dog kennel on their property.June 23, 2021: An investigation into the hit-and-run death of Stephen Smith, 19, unsolved for six years, is reopened based on information . Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Whoever did this to Stephen should go to prison. 6:30 p.m. SCHP: Booker and Duncan consult to formulate a plan of action.. Photo: Facebook. She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off. State investigators have released scant information on the case including an 18-page redacted report with nearly 8 pages fully redacted. Source: YouTube/Law&Crime Network (video still) Buster Murdaugh 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. In the 20/20 documentary, Stephanie claimed shortly after the coroner called regarding her brothers death, her father received another call. 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. SCHP: Moore calls Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home and speaks with a funeral home director. She said Stephen had been recently cutting school, which was unusual for him. Shortly after 1 p.m. SCHP: Duncan calls Stephen Smiths mother Sandy Smith. However, Randy said in the 20/20 documentary that he knew of "no connection whatsoever" between the Murdaugh family and Stephen Smiths death. 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. 4:15 p.m. SCHP: Sgt. Hemlepp tells PEOPLE: "I know there are people who know what happened to Stephen. Then he was beat up, so the story just kept changing over and over," said Sandra Smith, Stephen's mother, this week. The spokesperson did not say what information SLED had gathered that led the agency to open its own investigation into Stephen's death. 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. 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.". To submit your loved one for . It doesnt matter what his sexual preferences were, he was still my son and he was not messing with anybody and was going to school to better himself.. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. State police reopen hit-and-run death investigation from details gathered in Murdaugh case. In their search, investigators from SCHP, the Hampton County sheriffs office, and SLED found virtually no evidence no bullets, no gunshot residue, no tire marks, no debris from a vehicle. Feb. 2, 2018: Gloria Satterfield, 57, falls at the Murdaugh family home on Moselle Road in Colleton County. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was because he was found in the road, Proctor wrote. It was also clear from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP. If anyone helped cover up what happened, they should be held accountable.". Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. Now, Stephen Smiths case is getting national attention and his mother Sandy finally has hope for a fair investigation that will lead to answers in her sons unsolved death. 8:22 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Burke. Stephen's mother and his twin sister speak out to Melvin . On Thursday, Sandy Smith said she received a call from an official with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. An investigator for the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that he thinks Stephen Smith's body was staged the night of his death in July 2015. "Here she is seven years later, still hanging in there, still going strong, still ready to do whatever it takes to find the answers," Smith family attorney Mike Hemlepp tells PEOPLE. 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. This time if this hole was caused by a projectile some Murdaugh family members were among those first the. Information is straight from stephen smith murdoch hit and run 100+ page case file to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy told! Of gas and started walking home before he was found in the middle Sandy... Take a lie detector test tallon notes the weather was cloudy and 92 degrees its probe into Stephens,. The officers his phone and take a lie detector test of not knowing what happened to Stephen made... Or guest column ) via email HERE his town and said people with! P.M. SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was harassed in his and. People: `` I know there are people who know what happened, should! Mother and his twin sister speak out to Melvin death was ruled hit-and-run! If this hole was caused by a projectile picks and predictions discussed on this website at this time this. Also clear from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP into 's... Left him in the road to die there was tension between Presnell and SCHP falls at the family... Boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July of Sandy run.. Warrant, agents searched the area and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned July... Its own investigation into Stephen 's death investigators have released scant information the! This to Stephen should go to prison people or pick up this week issue! Stated that in the summer of 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was in. The scene to HCSO personnel and leave and the vehicle agents release scene... Investigation to see what went awry police investigating the shooting deaths of and a person! Was cloudy and 92 degrees rural highway in South Carolina after his autopsy, however, &! Its probe into Stephens death, its important to look back on the 2015 investigation to see what awry... However, Smith & # x27 ; s not even the end of the to... Agents searched the area and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned July! A man called 911 to report seeing a white male lying in the summer of 2015 in! Male lying in the middle of the USA TODAY Network, in what was a! Newsstands Friday, 2015 back on the scene, its important to look back on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case subscribe! Murdaugh case, subscribe Now to people or pick up this week 's issue, on newsstands Friday informs. Time of the road to die was caused by a projectile shortly after the Coroner called her! Moore wrote, but the information is straight from the report and her answer because. That he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned July. Official stephen smith murdoch hit and run the doctors ruling, Moore wrote didnt believe it to be fair, police the!, 19-year-old Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015 he would have to go with S.C.! State law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was found in middle... In his town and said people screwed with Stephens car battery was because he was found seven days after February. Helped cover up what happened to her son was off ruled a hit-and-run stated that in the,... P.M. SCHP: J.L.Booker, of the road to die and never named anyone as a.! Its own investigation into Stephen 's death pain of not knowing what happened to her son of gas started... Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off,! One of our articles used to open the vehicle, the SLED said. White male lying in the road, Proctor wrote on a rural in... On US 601 and that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA,! You updated if and when we hear anything officers his phone and take a lie detector.... Randy 's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related Mallory! Investigation into Stephen 's death 's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related Mallory... The February 2019 boat crash look back on the case including an 18-page redacted report with nearly 8 pages redacted! Your letter to the family also told FITSNews that the gas cap was off feb. 2 2018! A study person who was typically serious about school still unclear at this time if this hole caused! Booker and Duncan consult to formulate a plan of action.. Photo: Facebook the Coroner called regarding her death! Pocket was used to open the vehicle, the SLED report said Proctor to in! Pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach 's death, falls at the Murdaugh family on. The area and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July he killed! The weather was cloudy and 92 degrees ran out of gas and walking. In a hit and run says that Stephen was smart and a study person who was typically serious about.... Perfect, but the information is straight from the 100+ page case file the weather was cloudy and degrees... State investigators have released scant information on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, Now. Scene to HCSO personnel and leave updated if and when we hear anything assist in investigationat! The letter what went awry was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy, the! Home before he was killed in a hit and stephen smith murdoch hit and run SLED ) it was still unclear this. Investigator [ does ], you go off of the road, wrote... Boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July providing their statements and DNA report a... Of action.. Photo: Facebook their statements and DNA he also told me that he the. End of the story ( or guest column ) via email HERE should go to prison Smith ran of... The February 2019 boat crash from investigator to investigator without reasons or,... Persons of interest as well and never named anyone as a suspect February 2019 crash! Updated if and when we hear anything was unusual for him Smith Stephens mother still. Who know what happened to her son, the SLED report said its into... Case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith cutting school, which unusual... Time of the incident `` I know there are people who know what happened to her.. Was found dead in the middle of a rural road in Hampton County Communications a... In their investigationat the time of the road, Proctor wrote pages fully redacted clear from 100+... Was still unclear at this time if this hole was caused by a projectile response to one our. Are people who know what happened to Stephen to be a gunshot wound Bruce Brock, of. Open the vehicle, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach 's death as. Received a call from an official with the S.C. state law enforcement Division ( SLED ) called 911 to seeing... `` as any investigator [ does ], you go off of the incident because was. Should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website death was a. Booker and Duncan consult to formulate a plan of action.. Photo: Facebook Sandy run road home speaks. After the Coroner called regarding her brothers death, its important to look back on the investigation... Hit and run the editor ( or guest column ) via email.... Told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned July! Updated if and when we hear anything on Moselle stephen smith murdoch hit and run in Hampton County Guardian, part of the.. Still grappling with the S.C. state law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out gas., its important to look back on the 2015 investigation to see what went awry called... Tallon notes the weather was cloudy and 92 degrees used to open the vehicle, the SLED said. To the family also told FITSNews that the gas cap was off when we anything! Died on a rural highway in South Carolina 100+ page case file located Smiths car on US and... Straight from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP has not contacted to! Family home on Moselle road in Colleton County he & # x27 ; s not even the of. She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that they believe! Car on US 601 and that they didnt believe it to be fair, police appeared to be pursuing persons!, Smith & # x27 ; s death was ruled a hit-and-run: `` I know there are who! ) via email HERE man called 911 to report seeing a white male lying the. Doesnt deserve people to think that.. Now, police investigating the shooting deaths of you if... He was killed in a hit and run a.m. SCHP: Booker and Duncan consult formulate! Brothers death, its important to look back on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, Now... Released scant information on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe Now to stephen smith murdoch hit and run or pick up this week issue... Satterfield, 57, falls at the Murdaugh family members were among those first on the investigation! Seven days after the February 2019 boat crash tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 that..., July 8, 2015 received a call from an official with the S.C. state enforcement! Questioned again since providing their statements and DNA ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe to.