Sandy mentions that a man at Bi-Lo was giving Stephen trouble, but they became friends. Others in the community reached out to Sandy with rumors that a "Murdaugh boy" may be involved with her son's 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. Even after the eight-year veteran enhanced his postseason legend with another prolific stretch . Shes an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. Smith's body was found on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road, near Hampton. Mom and Son, Nobody Has Been Arrested, Alex Murdaugh Admits to Taking Up to 60 Pills of Oxycodone a Day Before Murders of Wife and Son, Alex Murdaugh Cries on the Stand During Testimony: 'I Did Not Shoot My Wife and Son', A Father's Dark Secrets: Inside the New, Disturbing Twists in the South Carolina Murdaugh Murders, Buster Murdaugh Sheds Tears While Testifying About Murders of Mom and Brother, Says They 'Destroyed' Alex, 'Victims Are Getting Lost in All This':Mallory Beach Family Attorney on Murdaugh Murder Mysteries, Alex Murdaugh Claims Son 'Paul Paul's' Killer Was Angry About Fatal 2019 Boat Crash: 'The Most Vile Threats', Alex Murdaugh Suffered Only 'Superficial' Injuries in Shooting and Will Enter Treatment, Alex Murdaugh Admits on Stand to Lying to Police After Murders of Wife, Son: 'What a Tangled Web We Weave', Maggie Murdaugh Saw a Divorce Lawyer 6 Weeks Before She and Her Son Were Murdered: Source. Stephen was found dead in the middle of a rural road outside of Hampton. Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. 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. "He wouldve called somebody.. Then it turned out it was a hit and run. Investigators had said at the time that it appeared Smith was hit by a . M.D. Cold Cases Database. 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. He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. This is about a child that deserves to be memorialized and commemorated, and a mother to have support that she hadn't had.". In the summer of 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of a rural highway in South Carolina. RELATED | Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation. When asked if theyve had been contacted by a lawyer, the family member tells police that Randy Murdaugh was the second person to call Stephens father after the coroner on the day of Stephens death. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! 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. 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. Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. 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. Smith was released on bond and now faces six felony charges in the shooting of Alex Murdaugh. "I just couldn't believe it," she said. More:Murdaughs killed in double homicide in Colleton County: What We Know SCHP: Moore calls Singleton again when Singleton doesnt call him back. Allen informs Moore that it is a homicide, not a hit and run. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. He offers to give the officers his phone and take a lie detector test. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). 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. His car was discovered three miles away with the gas cap off. She also says shes received a book deal offer and even a Netflix movie opportunity about the case, but shes turned it all down. July 10, 2015, SCHP: Stephens Clothes and iPhone sent to SLED, 5 p.m.: Stephens wake is held at the Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home chapel in Hampton on Mulberry Street East. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. 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 . The final autopsy report said that Stephens cause of death was blunt head trauma, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian vs. vehicle. July 8, 2015: Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County.No arrest is made in the case. Paul Murdaugh, 22, and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, werefound shot to death June 7 at their familys hunting lodge in Colleton County, South Carolina, as CrimeOnline has previously reported. CLICK HERE. 9 a.m. SCHP: Booker meets at Peeples Rhoden Funeral Home with Moore, Duncan, Rowell and Burke to examine the body. Source: YouTube/Law&Crime Network (video still) Buster Murdaugh The worst part is that some of the individuals responsible were Stephens classmates.. RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. It looked like it was more staged, like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.. Hours later, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Dr. Erin Presnell ruled that Stephen was killed in a hit-and-run accident, a decision which was met with confusion and skepticism by investigators and those who knew Stephen. It looked like it was more staged like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.". Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death. 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). 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. 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. 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. Duncan didnt ask any follow-up questions and never mentioned this rumor in his notes. One of the guys that supposedly did this, Stephen told his twin sister that he had a fling with the boy, she said. Murder, Money & Mystery: Were the Killings of a Mom and Son Connected to 3 Previous Deaths? Smith was found dead on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road near Joe Miley Road in Hampton. Photo: Facebook. There's a bright light being shined on that county. Got a tip for a story? Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Stephen Smith Case Files: Why Was Hampton Teens Death Ruled A Hit And Run In 2015? His name is going to be right there with everyone elses name and I dont care who knows it.. He said he would take Stephens case free of charge. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . It has been apparent from the first week of the investigation that authorities are covering up critical evidence and we no longer know who to trust, Smith wrote. "I know that they're working hard and that this is not a cold case," he says. The investigation was opened "based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh," a SLED spokesperson said. 9:18 a.m. SLED: Agents release the scene to HCSO personnel and leave. After interviewing several sources who knew the Murdaugh brothers, SCHP detective Proctormade some significant assessments of the family. No they dont they care about protecting themselves.. "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. Moore instructs him to immediately stop their preparations on the body and cover him up. Moore tells Rowell to go get the clothing. Murdaugh will face three charges in the shooting, but with several ongoing investigations and. A wooden memorial erected for Stephen Nicholas Smith, 19, who was found dead on a country road in 2015. In August 2015, the coroner told Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. The victim was covered with a sheet., A hole in the skull was located above the victims right eye, SLED agents wrote. 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. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Investigators theorized that the mirror of a semi-truck hit Stephens head. 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. New details in the investigation of 19-year-old Stephen Smith's death in 2015 show that while initial reports from S.C. Highway Patrol indicate his death was caused by a hit-and-run car crash . 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stephen smith murdoch hit and run