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 . 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. I wouldn't put shit by wealthy, corrupt, powerful, relatively young or barely "mature", highly intelligent men, privileged in every way. 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. I guarantee you that Stephen was not in that road, she said. He said that Stephen was being harassed on the night of his death at Sniders Crossroads on the way to Walterboro, South Carolina. 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 . So Moore calls Smalls again and gets voicemail. He was taken to a . How injury occurred: Subject was apparently hit by a motor vehicle possibly a truck. Sandy Smith was told that if she wanted her sons case to be looked at by SLED, she would have to write a letter. The vehicle was in park. It doesnt matter what his sexual preferences were, he was still my son and he was not messing with anybody and was going to school to better himself.. 8:25 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke arrive at the scene. Sandy has been begging law enforcement officials for years to open an investigation into her sons unsolved death. The boating incident also revived questions about the 2015 hit-and-run death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who was found dead on a rural road about 10 miles from the Murdaugh family's home . At first, they thought it was a hit and run. What I ended up finding [was] there were a lot of people who didnt want to assist or communicate with us, he said. Cold Cases Database. 5:57 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls King to advise him what was occurring.. His death was ruled a. Proctor told Fox News that was she said was true. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. The family of Stephen Smith wants more investigation into his death, which was declared a hit-and-run. Stephen's murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. Mallory Beach's parents also spoke out in the 20/20 documentary, remembering their daughter who died after an accident involving a Murdaugh family boat. The death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith was originally ruled a hit-and-run in 2015 when his body was found in the middle of a road 15 miles from the Murdaugh hunting cabin. 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. Todd Proctor, former. July 22, 2015, SCHP: Proctor visits Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? They search the area for cartridge cases. The Murdaugh familys ties to the legal system sparked questions about whether the investigation into Mallory's death was done properly. Proctor wrote that Presnell spoke in a negative tone and basically called (him) a liar when he said that hed already spoken to Hampton County CoronerErnie Washington. Whoever did this to Stephen should go to prison. Were not classifying this as anything other than a murder, Proctor said in an audio recording. CLICK HERE. Is Outer Banks based on a true story? We've made no secret about what our goal is. 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. After interviewing several sources who knew the Murdaugh brothers, SCHP detective Proctormade some significant assessments of the family. State investigators have released scant information on the case including an 18-page redacted report with nearly 8 pages fully redacted. Sandy Smith told FITSNews that SLED is investigating her sons death as a homicide which is something she wishes they did six years ago. The teens had been "grossly intoxicated," according to police, even though they were all underage and could not legally buy alcohol. The victims hands were bagged. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. Moore tells him to make sure that the coroner and HCSO are also ruling it a homicide. He also said SLED has not contacted Proctor to assist in their investigationat the time of the interview. Hes never been around Stephen., When asked who told her that she said Stephens friend, another kid who she named, and a couple other people.. The gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging on the side of the vehicle. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. The coroner searches through the victims clothing and located a vehicle key in the victims front left pocket. 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. "At that point, I hadbeen working highway patrol for 15 years, I've worked several hit and run collisions, and nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run," Inv. 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. 3:57:43 a.m. Hampton County Communications: A man called 911 to report seeing a white male lying in the middle of Sandy Run Road. 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. The man says that Stephen was harassed in his town and said people screwed with Stephens car battery. Want to contact Mandy? After his autopsy, however, Smith's death was ruled a hit-and-run. CLICK HERE. 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. For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. 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. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. "That no family, no community, no friends, no one had come to help her try to get a headstone. 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. Netflix 2023. Kacen Bayless/AP At the time, police said Smith had a massive head wound and they. 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. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? SCHP: Moore calls Singleton again when Singleton doesnt call him back. The19-year-old was found lying in the middle of the roadway with severe head traumain the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. Here's what we know. Moore calls Croft to ask which agents were at the scene that morning. Like the probe of the2019 boat crashthat killedMallory Beach, the 2015 investigation into Smiths death was chaotic from the beginning clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference. According to the autopsy, Greene was responsible for evidence transfer in the case. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. 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. 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. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. 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. "Stephen's getting his final resting place honored and recognized," says Andrews. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. Hampton, S.C. (WIS) - 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. After receiving a search warrant, agents searched the area and the vehicle, the SLED report said. Duncan didnt ask any follow-up questions and never mentioned this rumor in his notes. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. 5:15 a.m. SCHP: J.L.Booker, of SCHP, was notified by Lt. Bruce Brock, also of SCHP, of the incident. Moore then Walked the scene and saw no evidence of any car parts or pieces and then had all units clear the scene.. And anyone who knows anything needs to come forward. She has been searching for answers ever since. Shes an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. 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. This database currently consists of unsolved homicides from 50 Florida counties, 46 U.S. states, and 3 international countries. Perry Singleton and Chief Billy Jarrell, the SLED report said. Stephen Smith was 19 when he was found dead on a rural road in Hampton County in 2015. SCHP: Allen tells Duncan and SCHP that they are not needed at the autopsy, according to SLED and HCSO. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. 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. Now, police investigating the shooting deaths of. 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.. Smith died on a rural road in Hampton County, in 2015 that was ruled a hit-and-run.. Smith's mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015 that she believed her son's death was the result of foul play and a possible hate crime because her son was gay. 4:40 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Washington and asks him if the hit-and-run was his ruling as well. The worst part is that some of the individuals responsible were Stephens classmates.. HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The mother of a 19-year-old found dead in 2015 said the grand jury indictment of former Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh in the killings of his own wife and son gives her hope for justice for her son's case. Paul Murdaugh,Alex's son and Randy's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death. A source close to the family also told FITSNews that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA. ", Hemlepp says SLED investigators have "been engaging in regular communication with Sandy.". Others in the community reached out to Sandy with rumors that a "Murdaugh boy" may be involved with her son's death. 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. He was in school for nursing at the time of his death. Stephen's twin sister, Stephanie Smith, remembered the moment the coroner called her home about Stephen's death. Investigators theorized that the mirror of a semi-truck hit Stephens head. On July 22, 2015, Proctor visited Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. And now a retired South Carolina state trooper, who led the investigation into Smiths death, told Fox News he had long suspected the case to have been a murder. Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths, Murdaugh Murders: Did Alex Murdaugh hire someone to kill 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. His name is going to be right there with everyone elses name and I dont care who knows it.. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. 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. Austin North height: How tall is the Outer Banks actor? Following Killings of S.C. No one's going to feel like they're being held accountable if we don't bring attention to it.". David Rowell, of the SCHP, who tells him that Hampton County Sheriff T.C. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015. 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. 6:25 a.m. SCHP: Moore arrives at the scene and speaks with Hampton County Coroner Ernie Washington, who tells him it is a homicide. According to the investigation file, Buster was rumored to have been linked to Stephen intimately but detectives never proved this connection. He would have seen headlights coming and got off the road. No they dont they care about protecting themselves.. An investigator for the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that he thinks Stephen Smith's body was staged the night of his death in July 2015. August 18, 2015, SCHP: The coroner tells Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. Smith died on a rural road in Hampton County in 2015, in what was ruled a hit-and-run. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run, Proctor said. In August 2015, the coroner told Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death. That did not happen to my friend. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is now streaming on Netflix, telling the story of the wealthy Murdaugh family in South Carolina. To get some sort of clarification on the case including an 18-page redacted report with nearly pages. Door was open and the gas cap was hanging on the Smith.. The very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run, Proctor said,. 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