Moore tells him to make sure that the coroner and HCSO are also ruling it a homicide. Got a tip for a story? Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Stephens relative didnt believe the person who said they were dating Stephen and said the family was skeptical of him. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. (wrongful death lawsuit updates). (Assisted suicide explained). 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. Singleton took the wallet, according to the report. He often had car troubles, but they had trouble imagining him walkingin the middle of the road, his family told Inside Edition Digital in an interview. 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. What's the latest update on Stephen Smith's murder? The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made, Proctor wrote. There is no way that would happen to him. 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. 8:22 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Burke. Smith was found dead just before 4:00 a.m. EDT on July 8, 2015. The victims hands were bagged. The gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging on the side of the vehicle. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Investigators reported he was the victim. Whoever did this to Stephen should go to prison. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? 4:15 p.m. SCHP: Sgt. Stephens massive head wound along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body stumped investigators on scene. Is Outer Banks based on a true story? The vehicle was in park. SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. We have got to keep the light on his story and to keep the fire underneath other people's behinds to get it solved. 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. And when you dont have enough evidence to compel someone legally to speak with you you have to go off their willingness to speak to you.. 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. The former S.C. Highway Patrol trooper had recently told several media outlets that Stephen Smith's 2015 death was likely a murder staged to look like a hit-and-run. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. 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). 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. Cold Cases Database. Im just sitting here like why? It makes no sense, she said. Officials couldnt nail down a cause or manner of death. 11:29 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke attend autopsy at MUSC. 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. 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. The coroner searches through the victims clothing and located a vehicle key in the victims front left pocket. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Six years later, Stephens case is still unsolved. The case is being reexamined, partly because some Murdaugh family members were among those first on the scene. The vehicle doors were locked. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run. Others in the community reached out to Sandy with rumors that a "Murdaugh boy" may be involved with her son's death. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. 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.. 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. He was taken to a . CLICK HERE. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. Stephen Smith, a teenager from Hampton . 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. Detectives speculated a truck had side-swiped him with a rearview mirror as Smith walked along the dark road, according to incident reports. She stated they told the Sheriff and Coroner and that they didnt believe it to be a gunshot wound. MAIT is a division of the South Carolina HighwayPatrol unit that initially responded to the scene. 12:30 p.m. MUSC autopsy report: Dr. Erin Presnell begins the autopsy on Stephen. After his autopsy, however, Smith's death was ruled a hit-and-run. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). Were not classifying this as anything other than a murder, Proctor said in an audio recording. Sandy told FITSNews shes still clinging to hope even after Thursdays heart-wrenching news. Smith's death was attributed to severe head trauma and controversially ruled a hit and run at the time, which the family and some investigators have disputed, and official investigations into his . All Rights Reserved. At nearly $29 million, Clark is set to have the third-largest cap hit in 2023 of any defensive end. At first, when police arrived, they suspected his death was a result of a hit-and-run. Send your tips tomandy@fitsnews.com. His wallet was inside the car. A spokesperson confirmed the investigation into the 2015 hit-and-run case, citing "the information gathered in the Murdaugh homicide investigation." 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. The key is turned over to HCSO personnel. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Stephen Smith Case Files: Why Was Hampton Teens Death Ruled A Hit And Run In 2015? 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. Netflix 2023. Proctor told Fox News that was she said was true. 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. State police said information they gathered in the Murdaugh investigations also led them to review what was initially reported as the hit-and-run death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith in Hampton . The Smith case had originally been ruled a hit-and-run despite evidence from . 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. The forensic pathologist who. But Sandy Smith told the Hampton County Guardian, as reported in the Augusta Chronicle, that there was no glass or plastic shards on the road where Stephens body was found nothing that would indicate the young man was hit in the head by a mirror. Murdaugh Murders: What happened to Gloria Satterfield? Years before Maggie and Paul were killed, there was another murder in South Carolina that also might have ties to the Murdaugh family. I just dont believe my son would have been walking in the middle of the road like that. Stephens friends and family also disputed the autopsy report. The man says that hes done a lot of drugs and had brain injuries. 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. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Moore, of SCHP, gets a call from Cpl. But Smith's family refuses to believe it was an accident. SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. . As people of interest in the case come up and you try to get them to speak with you they shut down, Proctor explained. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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 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. One theory posits that Stephen ran out of gas and decided to walk home when he was clipped by a semi truck, but Stephen's mother Sandy Smith discounted that hypothesis in the 20/20 documentary. SLEDs inquiry into the Smith family does not mean its agents believe they had anything to do with the deaths of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 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. "When they told me hit and run I said that's impossible because Stephen wouldn't have been walking in the road to start with. Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. 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. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. 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. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Smiths mother, Sandy Smith, agrees. His death was first. 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.. 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. Hes never said anything bad about Stephen. No additional details were provided. He said Stephen was harassed by Rednecks in a big truck with big mud tires.. One of those deaths? The Hampton County Coroner's office authorized the autopsy. 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. 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 19-year-old had his skull partially crushed and his shoulder dislocated. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Myth? Randy Murdaugh was the second person to call my dad after the coroner," Stephanie told ABC. Files with the state highway patrol showed that a Murdaugh family member - a. SCHP: Moore calls Mitch Altman and tells him to go to the scene and see if he can find any debris. A man driving on the road that evening called police just before 5 a.m.to report a person lying in the roadside,according to police reports. At the time of his death, Smith was a 19-year-old Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College student who was studying to become a nurse. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. But eight years later, a new investigation says otherwise, with Smith as the subject of the new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Moore then Walked the scene and saw no evidence of any car parts or pieces and then had all units clear the scene.. We've made no secret about what our goal is. Mandy Matneyis the news director at FITSNews. No arrests have been made in Smith's death. Smith's case had gone cold in the months following his July 2015 death, which was officially ruled a vehicular hit-and-run despite strong objections from the South Carolina Highway Patrol. 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. 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. Allen, of the SCHP, telling him about a possible hit and run on Sandy Run Road. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. 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. Murdaugh Murders includes interviews with friends of the family, former and current, who shed light on the patriarch, Alex Murdaugh, and all of the trouble hes caused. The worst part is that some of the individuals responsible were Stephens classmates.. 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. Randy "said he wanted to take the case and it would be free of charge, Stephanie said. So they can play that card like they care about everyone else. He doesnt deserve that. The19-year-old was found lying in the middle of the roadway with severe head traumain the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. 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