"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. They found engine oil in the vehicle but could not get the car to start. Maybe there's even manufactured evidence in this case. Stephen's murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. In the 20/20 documentary, Stephanie claimed shortly after the coroner called regarding her brothers death, her father received another call. Stephens relative didnt believe the person who said they were dating Stephen and said the family was skeptical of him. The mother of the 19-year-old Stephen Smith has told news outlets for the past six years that she thought her son was beaten to death and not hit by a vehicle in Hampton County and she thought someone in the area covered up the crime. 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. 8:53 a.m. SLED: Burke meets with Moore at Peeples Rhoden Funeral Home in Hampton to provide documentation from the original crime scene and to transfer evidence. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run. They believed he was walking home when the incident occurred, the report said. I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was because he was found in the road, Proctor wrote. Smith was released on bond and now faces six felony charges in the shooting of Alex Murdaugh. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Stephen Smith Case Files: Why Was Hampton Teens Death Ruled A Hit And Run In 2015? Got a technical question or a glitch to report? No additional details were provided. No other evidence was located at the scene, the SLED agent wrote. 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. Want to contact Mandy? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sandy mentions that a man at Bi-Lo was giving Stephen trouble, but they became friends. Shortly after 1 p.m. SCHP: Duncan calls Stephen Smiths mother Sandy Smith. Feb. 2, 2018: Gloria Satterfield, 57, falls at the Murdaugh family home on Moselle Road in Colleton County. Then he was beat up, so the story just kept changing over and over," said Sandra Smith, Stephen's mother, this week. 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. 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. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Feb. 26, 2018: Satterfield dies from her injuries. Additional counties and states will be added to this database as time and funding permit. 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. SLED is continuing to cast a wide net as it looks to exclude individuals in connection with the double homicidethat took place at the Murdaughs 1,700-acre hunting property located near Islandton, S.C. on the evening of June 7, 2021. Paul Murdaugh,Alex's son and Randy's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death. "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. Keep in mind, this isyearsbefore Paul Murdaugh was charged with three felonies in the boat crash that killed Mallory Beach. Well keep you updated if and when we hear anything. A mother knows her child, and my son would not do that," Sandy said. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run.. 1:43 p.m. SLED: Agents leave MUSC and take evidence to their forensic laboratory. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. There's a bright light being shined on that county. For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. She is working writing an official letter to SLED. At another point in the investigation, Proctor appeared frustrated that local sources were hesitant and scared to speak of the Murdaughs to police. His car was discovered three miles away with the gas cap off. 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. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. Smith was found dead on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road near Joe Miley Road in Hampton. 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". Alex's. His loosely tied shoes were still on and his clothes appeared untouched. Despite the lack of tire marks or automobile debris, investigators ruled his death a hit-and-run accident. Files with the state highway patrol showed that a Murdaugh family member - a. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. 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. His wallet was inside the car. A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years' jail for a hit-and-run crash that left cyclist and Perth university professor Thomas Lyons, with a serious and ongoing brain injury . His phone and keys were still in his pocket. Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death. The worst part is that some of the individuals responsible were Stephens classmates.. 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.. They just dont care about the poor people who cant afford to hire a big-time attorney or private investigators, Sandy said. SCHP: Allen tells Duncan and SCHP that they are not needed at the autopsy, according to SLED and HCSO. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. 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 stated they told the Sheriff and Coroner and that they didnt believe it to be a gunshot wound. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. But eight years later, a new investigation says otherwise, with Smith as the subject of the new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. 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. FITSNews obtained all audio from the investigation file. How injury occurred: Subject was apparently hit by a motor vehicle possibly a truck. (wrongful death lawsuit updates). That's not even the end of the story. The Smith case had originally been ruled a hit-and-run despite evidence from . 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. In June, SLED announced that they planned to exhume her body. The family has now offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. 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.. 11:29 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke attend autopsy at MUSC. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. We've made no secret about what our goal is. Similar to the homicide case, SLED has revealed little information to the public since confirming it is reopening the case to the family,Inside Edition Digital previously reported. I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was because he was found in the road,' Proctor wrote. The vehicle doors were locked. The grammar, spelling, etc. 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. The vehicle was in park. The case is being reexamined, partly because some Murdaugh family members were among those first on the scene. M.D. The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. 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. Shes an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. 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,. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? August 18, 2015, SCHP: The coroner tells Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. Randy Murdaugh was the second person to call my dad after the coroner," Stephanie told ABC. 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. 12:30 p.m. MUSC autopsy report: Dr. Erin Presnell begins the autopsy on Stephen. One of the guys that supposedly did this, Stephen told his twin sister that he had a fling with the boy, she said. 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. Allen tells Duncan that the only injuries to the victim were around the head area.. It looked like it was more staged, like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.. 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. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. Mandy also hosts the Murdaugh Murders podcast. is not perfect, but the information is straight from the 100+ page case file. . Sadly, the latest update in the Stephen Smith case came back in 2021, but with Alex Murdaugh on trial and with the release ofMurdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, were crossing our fingers we hear more developments soon. His death was investigated by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety 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. I wouldn't put shit by wealthy, corrupt, powerful, relatively young or barely "mature", highly intelligent men, privileged in every way. After Paul and Maggie Murdaugh's murders, SLED announced that their investigation had led them to look into Stephen's death. Investigators theorized that the mirror of a semi-truck hit Stephens head. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. According to court documents, Alex . She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off. 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. 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. Michael E. Duncan of the incident. Someone just left him in the middle of the road to die . Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths, Murdaugh Murders: Did Alex Murdaugh hire someone to kill him? Stephens murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. He would not let a car, let alone a truck, get close enough to hit him. Allen informs Moore that it is a homicide, not a hit and run. One of those deaths? 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. 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. This is about a child that deserves to be memorialized and commemorated, and a mother to have support that she hadn't had.". 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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. 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