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 Coroner Ernie Washington. 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. 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. Murdaugh murders: Cops clueless about motive, refuse to release 911 call details Another deceased person's name has reemerged in the case - Stephen Smith, a gay man from Hampton who died in 2015. 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.". 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. Rowell calls later and tells him he could find no debris at all., Altman goes to the scene and calls him back stating he could find nothing.. The vehicle doors were locked. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP). Mandy Matneyis the news director at FITSNews. These boys were coming from a baseball game and I think that they were right behind him, so when he had to pull over, they were right there. 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. Stephens massive head wound along with the lack of other significant injuries on his body stumped investigators on scene. In the 20/20 documentary, Stephanie claimed shortly after the coroner called regarding her brothers death, her father received another call. Is Mother and Son Murder Connected to Death of Woman in Drunken Boat Crash. Smiths mother, Sandy Smith, agrees. He doesnt deserve that. Evidence in Stephens case was found during the investigation into Maggie and Paul Murdaughs murders, though according to People Magazine, those findings were never made public. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). The rumor thats going around Hampton that everybody keeps coming up to me and saying it was Murdaugh boys, she says. 8:22 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Burke. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Investigators had said at the time that it appeared Smith was hit by a . Cold Cases Database. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. In the days after Stephen Smith was found dead on a Hampton County road, an autopsy was performed to determine the cause and manner of his death. He said another investigator had already had, from (his) understanding a heated conversation with her about this issue.. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. To submit your loved one for . 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. They just dont care about the poor people who cant afford to hire a big-time attorney or private investigators, Sandy said. Investigators reported he was the victim. (latest case updates), Murdaugh Murders: Was Paul Murdaugh charged for Mallory Beachs death? Send your tips tomandy@fitsnews.com. The19-year-old was found lying in the middle of the roadway with severe head traumain the early morning hours of July 8, 2015. 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. 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. This did, however, cause theSouth Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open up the case in June 2021, but at this time it doesnt look like there have been any new developments since then. The three-part series chronicles the string of deaths that the family is connected to, including a teenager named Mallory Beach who tragically died in a boating accident. She also says shes received a book deal offer and even a Netflix movie opportunity about the case, but shes turned it all down. Rumors have swirled about a possible relationship between Stephen Smith and Buster Murdaugh. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. 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. is not perfect, but the information is straight from the 100+ page case file. According to NewsNation, Stephens mom Sandy is hoping for answers about her sons death during Alex Murdaughs trial. He stated he would have to go with the doctors ruling, Moore wrote. Moore, of SCHP, gets a call from Cpl. The vehicle was in park. 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 . He was in school for nursing at the time of his death. 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. Stephens life mattered, too.. 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. 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. The statements are the latest to be revealed in court filings by Dominion as part of its billion-dollar defamation suit against the . An official autopsy had ruled the death as a possible hit-and-run, yet some authorities refuted that report after making their own observations at the scene. HAMPTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A new headstone for Stephen Smith was unveiled at the Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County Sunday. Cr. He said he would take Stephens case free of charge. How he died remains a mystery to this day. 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. The family keeps his casket open so that people could see what they did to him. Moore tells him to make sure that the coroner and HCSO are also ruling it a homicide. Stephens relative tells him that she just officially left the house for the first time since Stephens death the day before and went to the store and a bunch of people kept coming up to her saying Did you know the Murdaugh Boys are behind it, saying Buster Murdaugh the, one we went to school with did it, and some of his friends.. 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. Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of a country road 15 miles from the Murdaugh family's Islandton hunting lodge on July 8, 2015. She tells police Stephen was going to school in Orangeburg and hung out at Bobcat Landing a lot recently. Upon entering the scene, agents observed that the scene was secured by HCSO personnel and yellow barrier tape, the SLED agent wrote. 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. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015. That's not even the end of the story. Washington tells him its been taken to the funeral home per the familys wishes at the time of the death notification.. "She now has more people than she knows what to do with," says Andrews. 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. She stated they told the Sheriff and Coroner and that they didnt believe it to be a gunshot wound. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? The case is being reexamined, partly because some Murdaugh family members were among those first on the scene. More:Murdaughs killed in double homicide in Colleton County: What We Know 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 . ", Hemlepp says SLED investigators have "been engaging in regular communication with Sandy.". (WTOC/Provided) Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head. She said shortly after Stephens death that believes her son was beaten to death and the crime covered up. His death was investigated by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety 9 a.m. SCHP: Booker meets at Peeples Rhoden Funeral Home with Moore, Duncan, Rowell and Burke to examine the body. 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. Investigation files revealed (part one). MAIT investigators cited multiple times in case notes and incidentreports obtained by Inside Edition Digital that Smith's death appeared to be a homicide and said the wound on his skull to be consistent with a gunshot wound. (wrongful death lawsuit updates). What a slap in the face.. 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. 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. 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. The victim was covered with a sheet., A hole in the skull was located above the victims right eye, SLED agents wrote. 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. In their search, investigators from SCHP, the Hampton County sheriffs office, and SLED found virtually no evidence no bullets, no gunshot residue, no tire marks, no debris from a vehicle. "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. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Stephen Smith Case Files: Why Was Hampton Teens Death Ruled A Hit And Run In 2015? Sandy Smith was told that if she wanted her sons case to be looked at by SLED, she would have to write a letter. 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. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. A mother knows her child, and my son would not do that," Sandy said. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Sandy told FITSNews shes still clinging to hope even after Thursdays heart-wrenching news. "He wouldve called somebody.. Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015 . 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. Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team, told Fox News in an exclusivetelevisioninterview, Maggie Murdaugh's Cellphone Was Found Near Roadside Away From Crime Scene, Sources Reportedly Say, SLED Will Investigate Stephen Smith 2015 Death, Citing Emerging Details in Paul and Maggie Murdaugh Killings, New Redacted Report on Murdaugh Homicide Case Released. (Center) Alex Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. What I ended up finding [was] there were a lot of people who didnt want to assist or communicate with us, he said. Proctor also wrote in his report that Greene was fired sometime between July 22 August 18 2019. The Murdaugh family (/ m r d k / MUR-dok) is an American legal family in the Low Country region of South Carolina.From 1920 to 2006, three members of the family consecutively served as solicitor (i.e., district attorney), in charge of prosecuting all criminal cases in the state's 14th circuit district, leading locals to call the five-county district, "Murdaugh Country". But her dad was "a little iffy on accepting the offer. Todd Proctor told Fox News in an exclusivetelevisioninterview. Smalls said hell call right back but doesnt. The 19-year-old had his skull partially crushed and his shoulder dislocated. 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. Hampton County Coroners Office: The first of 3 death certificates for Stephen Smith was issued by Washington to the family. He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. 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. Files with the state highway patrol showed that a Murdaugh family member - a. State police reopen hit-and-run death investigation from details gathered in Murdaugh case. State investigators have released scant information on the case including an 18-page redacted report with nearly 8 pages fully redacted. SLED agents noted minor injuries to victims left arm, left hand and head. 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. Randy "said he wanted to take the case and it would be free of charge, Stephanie said. 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.. A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years' jail for a hit-and-run crash that left cyclist and Perth university professor Thomas Lyons, with a serious and ongoing brain injury . Allen informs Moore that it is a homicide, not a hit and run. 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. 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. SCHP: Moore calls Singleton again when Singleton doesnt call him back. Smalls called him and told him that the autopsy showed Smiths death a result of a hit and run. So they can play that card like they care about everyone else. Murdaugh Murders: What happened to Gloria Satterfield? As any investigator, you go off of the evidence there was no evidence that pointed towards this being a hit and run, or a vehicle even being involved in it. Of course, the rumors began from there, with many speculating the Murdaugh family mightve killed Stephen. Like the probe of the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach, the 2015 investigation into Smiths death was chaotic from the beginning clouded by jurisdictional confusion and suspicions of investigative interference. In June, SLED announced that they planned to exhume her body. 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. The grammar, spelling, etc. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. His death was ruled a hit-and-run, but his mother Sandy Smith, who attended Sunday's unveiling, has long suspected he was murdered. 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. Alex Murdaugh Pauls father and Maggies husband is said to have discovered the bodies that evening after returning to the property. Murdaugh Murders: Where is Buster Murdaugh now? Now, Stephen Smiths case is getting national attention and his mother Sandy finally has hope for a fair investigation that will lead to answers in her sons unsolved death. Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, Sandy told FITSNews. He gets voicemail. According to law enforcement at the time, his death was the consequence of a hit-and-run. The coroner searches through the victims clothing and located a vehicle key in the victims front left pocket. 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. Stephen Smith's body was found along Sandy Run Road in Hampton County in July 2015. Hemlepp tells PEOPLE: "I know there are people who know what happened to Stephen. 9:18 a.m. SLED: Agents release the scene to HCSO personnel and leave. Also buried close by is Stephen's brother, who died as a baby. It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined, The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made, Proctor wrote. It looked like it was more staged like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.". They believed he was walking home when the incident occurred, the report said. Stephens friends and family also disputed the autopsy report. That did not happen to my friend. Got a tip for a story? Smith's body was found on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road, near Hampton. Paul had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was not incarcerated. 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. 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. Others in the community reached out to Sandy with rumors that a "Murdaugh boy" may be involved with her son's death. At the time, investigators said it appeared he was killed in a hit-and-run collision while walking. SCHP: Moore calls Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home and speaks with a funeral home director. Michael E. Duncan of the incident. RELATED | Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation. On July 8, 2015 Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road with a 7.25-inch gaping hole on the right side of his forehead and no other major injuries. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. Shes an investigative journalist from Kansas who has worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois, and South Carolina before making the switch to FITS. there was no evidence that pointed towards this being a hit and run or a vehicle even being involved in it," he continued. For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, she said. At the time, her death was classified as an accidental slip and fall, but authorities have reopened the investigation. Stephen was beloved. 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. M.D. We have got to keep the light on his story and to keep the fire underneath other people's behinds to get it solved. She said Stephen had been recently cutting school, which was unusual for him. 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.
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