The coroners report on Smiths death said he was most likely hit in the head by the mirror of a passing tractor trailer truck as he walked along the dark, two-lane road after he ran out of gas. But her dad was "a little iffy on accepting the offer. "While the many questions about my son's death remain, this action gives me hope that we will get justice for my Stephen," she said. In August 2015, the coroner told Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. SCHP: Moore calls Singleton again when Singleton doesnt call him back. The grammar, spelling, etc. 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. 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. RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. August 18, 2015, SCHP: The coroner tells Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. A mother knows her child, and my son would not do that," Sandy said. Prior to leaving the scene, agents discussed their findings and completed a walkthrough with Inv. Cold Cases Database. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division spokesman Tommy Crosby said earlier this week that SLED was opening its own investigation into Smiths death not a reopening of another agencys probe but rather bringing a fresh set of eyes onto the case. Alex Murdaugh, Paul's father and . 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. Stephen Smith was 19 when he was found dead on a rural road in Hampton County in 2015. 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. Murdaugh Murders: Where is Buster Murdaugh now? (latest case updates), Murdaugh Murders: Was Paul Murdaugh charged for Mallory Beachs death? As people of interest in the case come up and you try to get them to speak with you they shut down, Proctor explained. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. 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. There is no way that would happen to him. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. Stephens family member didnt seem to believe this at the time. Stephens murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. 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. Upon entering the scene, agents observed that the scene was secured by HCSO personnel and yellow barrier tape, the SLED agent wrote. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. According to the autopsy, Greene was responsible for evidence transfer in the case. EXCLUSIVE : A former South Carolina state trooper who led the 2015 cold case involving an alleged fatal hit-and-run is speaking out exclusively to Fox News, describing how the prominent. In fairness, SLED didnt investigate Stephens case because it was dubiously ruled a hit and run. 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. (Center) Alex Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Following Killings of S.C. Sandy Smith, speaking to the Guardian shortly after her sons July 8, 2015, death, said that she thinks she knows who killed him. While reporters from all over the nation contacted her last week about her sons story, she just wants the official call from law enforcement telling her they reopened the case. Source: YouTube/Law&Crime Network (video still) Buster Murdaugh 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. The key located in the victims pocket was used to open the vehicle. 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. His death was ruled a hit-and-run, but his mother Sandy Smith, who attended Sunday's unveiling, has long suspected he was murdered. Proctor made it clear in his reports that he didnt believe Stephens death was a hit-and-run. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. It looked like it was more staged like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.". I wouldn't put shit by wealthy, corrupt, powerful, relatively young or barely "mature", highly intelligent men, privileged in every way. 5:57 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls King to advise him what was occurring.. M.D. "I just couldn't believe it," she said. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is now streaming on Netflix, telling the story of the wealthy Murdaugh family in South Carolina. "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. In early June, a sonand mother, both members of a prominent South Carolina family were slain at their family's home in a horrific double murder. 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. Build your customFanSided TV email newsletter with news and analysis onNetflix and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Sandy says shes skeptical of the man claiming to be Stephens boyfriend. I then reminded him that earlier that morning they were certain it was a gunshot wound and he told me he had to go by the opinion of the doctor. Moore asks where Smiths body is. 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. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. SCHP: Allen tells Duncan and SCHP that they are not needed at the autopsy, according to SLED and HCSO. For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. For six years, Smith. 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. Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015. Kurt Busch might have received a proper sendoff this weekend in Las Vegas, where his hometown track treated him cruelly over 21 tries until he broke through for a win in 2020. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? 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. Michael Hemlepp, attorney for Smith's family, joins NewsNation's "Banfield."#Banfield #AlexMurdaugh He also said SLED has not contacted Proctor to assist in their investigationat the time of the interview. After Paul and Maggie Murdaugh's murders, SLED announced that their investigation had led them to look into Stephen's death. Want to contact Mandy? Mandy also hosts the Murdaugh Murders podcast. Sandy Smith didnt reveal who she thought killed her son. Duncan didnt ask any follow-up questions and never mentioned this rumor in his notes. His phone and keys were still in his pocket. 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. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP). SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. She had no evidence other than that for the statement being put in the report., Proctor said that he explained to her that law enforcement officers had no evidence of this individual being struck by a vehicle.. Paul Murdaugh,Alex's son and Randy's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death. 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. On July 22, 2015, Proctor visited Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. The family of Stephen Smith wants more investigation into his death, which was declared a hit-and-run. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. 9 a.m. SCHP: Booker meets at Peeples Rhoden Funeral Home with Moore, Duncan, Rowell and Burke to examine the body. 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. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. 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. SLED opened the investigation based on information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, SLED spokesperson Tommy Crosby told FITSNews. The family keeps his casket open so that people could see what they did to him. 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. Got a tip for a story? Keep in mind, this isyearsbefore Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies in the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. At the time, her death was classified as an accidental slip and fall, but authorities have reopened the investigation. Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch said in a deposition under oath that any Fox News executives who knowingly allowed lies to be broadcast on the air "should be reprimanded" or "maybe got rid of," according to a new court filing on Monday by Dominion Voting Systems. An official autopsy had ruled the death as a possible hit-and-run, yet some authorities refuted that report after making their own observations at the scene. She just wants to know who was responsible for murdering her child. 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 . 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. Stephen was classmates with the eldest Murdaugh son, Buster, and witnesses at the time of the initial investigation suggested they might have had a relationship. According to law enforcement at the time, his death was the consequence of a hit-and-run. He doesnt deserve people to think that.. "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. Moore describes Smith as there were no visible injuries to the deceased, other than his head wound and a small amount of road rash on both arms, Actual or presumed Date of Death: July 8, 2015, Cause of death: Blunt force trauma (probably pedestrian in motor vehicle accident possibly struck by side mirror). And completed a walkthrough with Inv case because it was dubiously ruled a hit-and-run told Proctor that he believe. 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