Stephens relative didnt believe the person who said they were dating Stephen and said the family was skeptical of him. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? . According to our sources, all of the boat crash survivors and Beachs family members voluntarily submitted to questioning and volunteered to provide their DNA as a part of the double homicide investigation. 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. M.D. Moore calls Croft to ask which agents were at the scene that morning. Families, entire communities are still reeling . His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. 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. Murdaugh will face three charges in the shooting, but with several ongoing investigations and. Rowell did not make a note of the Murdaugh tip in his written notes. 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. The driver reportedly told police he first thought Smithwas an animal, but took a second glance and noticed "a white male lying in the middle of the road.". According to NewsNation, Stephens mom Sandy is hoping for answers about her sons death during Alex Murdaughs trial. 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. Days after the shockingdouble homicideofPaul Murdaughand his motherMaggie Murdaugh, FITSNews published an exclusive report about three other deaths that have connections to the powerful South Carolina family. Years before Maggie and Paul were killed, there was another murder in South Carolina that also might have ties to the Murdaugh family. August 18, 2015, SCHP: The coroner tells Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. At nearly $29 million, Clark is set to have the third-largest cap hit in 2023 of any defensive end. 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. The doctor ruled out a gunshot wound and said it was possible the injury was a result of the impact from theside-view mirror of a semi-truck. 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. 10:30 a.m. SCHP: Moore notes that Washington told him that this is when Joel and Sandy Smith were notified of their sons death. Not only is it believed he swept crimes committed by his family under the rug and has been involved in fraud, but hes also been accused of murder. But eight years later, a new investigation says otherwise, with Smith as the subject of the new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. 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. Sandy says that Stephen was smart and a study person who was typically serious about school. Stephen's death is one of several mysterious or accidental deaths that have swirled around the Murdaugh family in recent years. Ready to watch a new true crime docuseries thatll make your head spin? Smith died on a rural road in Hampton County in 2015, in what was ruled a hit-and-run. 6:12 a.m. SLED: SLED Crime Scene was requested by Chief Deputy Billy Jarrell, HCSO, to assist in the investigation of a possible homicide in Hampton County.. Then, the coroner ruled the death a shooting homicide forcing investigators to search the rural road carved between a tree line and a corn field. In fairness, SLED didnt investigate Stephens case because it was dubiously ruled a hit and run. His car was discovered three miles away with the gas cap off. In August 2015, the coroner told Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. 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. He offers to give the officers his phone and take a lie detector test. Duncan didnt ask any follow-up questions and never mentioned this rumor in his notes. 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. 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. His name is going to be right there with everyone elses name and I dont care who knows it.. Alex Murdaugh, Paul's father and . "Sandy and I both believe that this was a murder. Even after the eight-year veteran enhanced his postseason legend with another prolific stretch . Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. SCHP: A man who describes himself as Stephens boyfriend (the family disputes this) was interviewed by Duncan and Rowell. 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. The killings also led the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open an investigation into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old man whose body was found in a road 10 miles from. Cuts and bruises dotted his right hand. The South Carolina Highway Patrol received an anonymous tip connecting the Murdaugh family to the hit-and-run death of Stephen Smith back in 2015, the New York Post reports. They believed he was walking home when the incident occurred, the report said. 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. 11:03 a.m. SCHP: Duncan travels to Hampton County and interviews a member of the Smith family at the DMV office (a substation for SCHP). 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. 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. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. SCHP: Moore writes I turned the clothing over to Duncan and after a discussion by all parties as to why this did not appear to be related to a motor vehicle.. 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. 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. I just dont believe my son would have been walking in the middle of the road like that. SCHP: Duncan talks to Stephens family and they reject the ruling that Stephen would have been hit by a car. She was devastated to hear the news that she and her family were now being viewed as possible persons of interest in the savage slayings last Monday at Moselle the Murdaugh family hunting lodge in Colleton county. The victim was covered with a sheet., A hole in the skull was located above the victims right eye, SLED agents wrote. For more than two decades, she had served as the family housekeeper and nanny. "He's on my side . part of an apparent hit and run. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . That would be Stephen Smith, a gay teenager who was found dead in the street inHampton County. Investigators bid to solve last weeks double homicide draws fresh scrutiny on 2015 cold case . It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined. Tallon and Burke take photos and notes and make a sketch with measurements (see below). All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Moore tells him to make sure that the coroner and HCSO are also ruling it a homicide. The vehicle doors were locked. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The forensic pathologist who. The battery was functional, however the vehicle would not start., 9:40 a.m. SLED: Agents leave the scene of the car after doing a walk-through with Singleton and Jarrell. ", Hemlepp says SLED investigators have "been engaging in regular communication with Sandy.". Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. 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. 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. Whoever did this to Stephen should go to prison. Investigators reported he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, despite police reports . Got a tip for a story? His loosely tied shoes were still on and his clothes appeared untouched. Of course, the fact SLED is interviewing Sandy Smith means it is taking seriously the suggestion that the Murdaugh family may have had something to do with the death of her son. SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. Smith was found dead on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road near Joe Miley Road in Hampton. 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. Alex Murdaugh is currently in jail, on a $7 million bond that he has yet to meet, facing 51 charges for financial crimes, and multiple lawsuits. We have got to keep the light on his story and to keep the fire underneath other people's behinds to get it solved. After Paul and Maggie Murdaugh's murders, SLED announced that their investigation had led them to look into Stephen's death. 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. 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. SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. The grammar, spelling, etc. Then it turned out it was a hit and run. The official cause of death at the time was that Smith, 19, died from a hit and run. July 8, 2015: Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County.No arrest is made in the case. 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. They just dont care about the poor people who cant afford to hire a big-time attorney or private investigators, Sandy said. Prior to leaving the scene, agents discussed their findings and completed a walkthrough with Inv. Paul Murdaugh,Alex's son and Randy's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. 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. A spokesperson confirmed the investigation into the 2015 hit-and-run case, citing "the information gathered in the Murdaugh homicide investigation." 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 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.. SCHP: Allen tells Duncan and SCHP that they are not needed at the autopsy, according to SLED and HCSO. Additionally, the episode will reveal new details in the death of Stephen Smith, who was found dead in 2015 after an alleged hit and run. She said shortly after Stephens death that believes her son was beaten to death and the crime covered up. I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was because he was found in the road, Proctor wrote. So Moore calls Smalls again and gets voicemail. Upon entering the scene, agents observed that the scene was secured by HCSO personnel and yellow barrier tape, the SLED agent wrote. On June 22, 2021, SLED said it was . 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 . 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. Todd Proctor, former South Carolina Highway Patrol investigator, told Fox News this week that it looked like Stephens body was placed in the middle of the road. This will be a 3-part series revealing the case file. No other evidence was located at the scene, the SLED agent wrote. SCHP detectives noted the cars gas cap was unscrewed and hanging outside of the gas cap door. Stephen was found dead in the middle of a rural road outside of Hampton. The late Stephen Smith with his mother . 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. Here's what we know. CLICK HERE. 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. 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. 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.". According to court documents, Alex . "[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 spokesperson did not say what information SLED had gathered that led the agency to open its own investigation into Stephen's death. Smiths mother, Sandy Smith, agrees. 8:02 p.m. SCHP: Moore talks to Booker and explained the scenario to him. They decide to meet at the funeral home at 9 a.m. the next day and to ask SLED to meet them there. Sandy told FITSNews shes still clinging to hope even after Thursdays heart-wrenching news. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. 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. 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. 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. 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