Shes an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. Randy Murdaugh was the second person to call my dad after the coroner," Stephanie told ABC. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. Tallon notes the weather was cloudy and 92 degrees. He was an openly gay young man in the small town of Hampton, South Carolina, which wasnt easy, but he made the best of it, his friends told FITSNews. Stephen Smith's body was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County on July 8, 2015. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). She also said she believed that the Murdaughs influence extended to all realms of the investigation and was initially tainted when it was ruled a hit-and-run incident (see below for part of Sandy Smiths letter). Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? At first, they thought it was a hit and run. SCHP: Moore calls Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home and speaks with a funeral home director. How injury occurred: Subject was apparently hit by a motor vehicle possibly a truck. Is Mother and Son Murder Connected to Death of Woman in Drunken Boat Crash. You become invincible in a way and you get a little liquor and you think youre untouchable.. They took him from his car; everybody knew his car because he had the ugliest little banana [car] in town. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. King World Productions Inc. 2023 Inside Edition Inc. and CBS interactive Inc., Paramount companies. 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. 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. 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. Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015. Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death. Stephen Smith's body was found along Sandy Run Road in Hampton County in July 2015. Ready to watch a new true crime docuseries thatll make your head spin? And anyone who knows anything needs to come forward. He stated he would have to go with the doctors ruling, Moore wrote. What's the latest update on Stephen Smith's murder? Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh is the older brother of Alex Murdaugh, a member of the influential Hampton family. Source: YouTube/Law&Crime Network (video still) Buster Murdaugh Investigators theorized that the mirror of a semi-truck hit Stephens head. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Myth? He said another investigator had already had, from (his) understanding a heated conversation with her about this issue.. No one's going to feel like they're being held accountable if we don't bring attention to it.". In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Sandy Smith said she was grateful that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), handing the Murdaugh investigation, and the Attorney General's Office have provided "some closure" in the deaths. At first, when police arrived, they suspected his death was a result of a hit-and-run. The killings also led the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open a new inquiry into the unsolved death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose body was found on a rural road in the area in . Murdaugh's. After his autopsy, however, Smith's death was ruled a hit-and-run. 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. (Center) Alex Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Thank you, God!. He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. Editors Note: The timeline below is an outline of an investigation shared for the purpose of full disclosure as the case is getting attention from sleuths across the country. Even after the eight-year veteran enhanced his postseason legend with another prolific stretch . They search the area for cartridge cases. At the time of his death, Paul was awaiting trial after being charged with several felonies in connection to the deadly crash, including boating under the influence. 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. In a report (below) by Todd Proctor, a MAIT detective for SCHP, it was clear that investigators didnt agree with the pathologists conclusion to rule the death a hit and run. Stephen's death is one of several mysterious or accidental deaths that have swirled around the Murdaugh family in recent years. Investigators found Smiths car three miles away on the side of Bamberg Highway. The forensic pathologist who. 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. 4:40 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Washington and asks him if the hit-and-run was his ruling as well. MAIT takes photos of the body and Smiths clothes. I wouldn't put shit by wealthy, corrupt, powerful, relatively young or barely "mature", highly intelligent men, privileged in every way. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. In January 2023, it was confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing. The Murdaugh familys ties to the legal system sparked questions about whether the investigation into Mallory's death was done properly. Additional counties and states will be added to this database as time and funding permit. Smith had a head wound consistent with being shot, the coroner explained in a report. She said they were adamant it was a gunshot wound, so they mapped the scene and began to gather evidence as they would normally do.. 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. Then it turned out it was a hit and run. The worst part is that some of the individuals responsible were Stephens classmates.. . The case of 19-year-old Stephen Smith is often mentioned in the same sentence on social media. August 18, 2015, SCHP: The coroner tells Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. 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. MAIT is a division of the South Carolina HighwayPatrol unit that initially responded to the scene. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Stephen's twin sister, Stephanie Smith, remembered the moment the coroner called her home about Stephen's death. In fairness, SLED didnt investigate Stephens case because it was dubiously ruled a hit and run. Detectives speculated a truck had side-swiped him with a rearview mirror as Smith walked along the dark road, according to incident reports. 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.. RELATED | Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation. Moore calls Croft to ask which agents were at the scene that morning. 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 . Rumors have swirled about a possible relationship between Stephen Smith and Buster Murdaugh. In early June, a son and mother, both members of a. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. "He had his cell phone, he was six miles from the house," she insisted. Multi-Action Disciplinary Team case notes obtained by Inside Edition Digital through a Freedom of Information Act request offer insight from the night Stephen Smith was killed. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? SCHP: Moore instructs Rowell to go back to the scene and make sure the body had been marked and to start looking for debris in both directions. The family member says that Stephen was recently acting secretive and started coming home late. Despite the lack of tire marks or automobile debris, investigators ruled his death a hit-and-run accident. 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.". Moore is called by Cpl. Feb. 26, 2018: Satterfield dies from her injuries. The Hampton County Coroner's office authorized the autopsy. 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. In July 2015, a 19 year old man named Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of the road in Hampton County, South Carolina. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Myth? 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. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015 . "Stephen's getting his final resting place honored and recognized," says Andrews. Smith's body was found on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road, near Hampton. They just throw their cases on a shelf to collect dust.. Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. Allen informs Moore that it is a homicide, not a hit and run. A NEW 20/20 documentary about the mysterious Murdaugh family includes claims by the twin sister of a teenager who died under strange circumstances in rural South Carolina. 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. 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. She is working writing an official letter to SLED. He asks the funeral home director if he has the clothing Smith was wearing and is told it was in a paper bag with the body. SCHP: Moore, Rowell, Booker and Duncan go to Sandy Run Road to document the scene and looked for any evidence at the scene for approximately 100 yards in both directions. They were very withdrawn with what they knew or thought.. Mandy Matneyis the news director at FITSNews. A spokesperson confirmed the investigation into the 2015 hit-and-run case, citing "the information gathered in the Murdaugh homicide investigation." 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. 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. part of an apparent hit and run. Officials couldnt nail down a cause or manner of death. 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. 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