Stephen Smith's 2015 death officially ruled a homicide by police.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the death of Stephen Smith as a homicide after reopening the case amid its investigation into the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Smith was found dead on a rural road in Hampton County on July 8, 2015, and his death was initially ruled a hit-and-run. However, the case went cold until a fatal boat crash involving former attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh's son Paul in 2019 brought it into the public spotlight. The law enforcement division reopened Smith’s case in June 2021 "based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh."