New findings have emerged in the unsolved death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old gay man whose body was found on a rural road in South Carolina in 2015. His mother, Sandy Smith, has long believed that his death was not an accident and has been working with a team of lawyers and experts to investigate further. The case gained renewed attention following the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, and there have been persistent rumors linking the Murdaugh family to Stephen's death. The investigation has raised questions about the initial ruling of a hit and run, with evidence suggesting foul play and a possible cover-up.
The mysterious death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old found dead in 2015, has been reignited after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) discovered a clue while investigating the Murdaugh murders. Smith's death was initially ruled a hit and run, but investigators found no evidence of a vehicle accident. SLED has renewed the investigation into Smith's death, sparking new theories and rumors. A new autopsy revealed blunt trauma to Smith's head, dispelling previous confusion. Independent investigations suggest he was struck by something hanging off a vehicle. SLED's investigation is ongoing.
Forensic pathologist Michelle DuPre claims that South Carolina teenager Stephen Smith, who had ties to the Murdaugh family, died from a "single blow to the forehead" and not from a hit-and-run as previously believed. DuPre speculates that Smith was killed in the roadway due to the location and size of the fracture in his skull. She dismisses rumors that Smith was beaten with a baseball bat and denies that his body was dumped at the scene. Smith's case was reclassified as a homicide in 2021 after new evidence emerged during the investigation into the shooting deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. Smith's mother has long sought a second opinion on her son's death.
A second autopsy on the exhumed body of South Carolina teen Stephen Smith, who was found dead in 2015, has yielded evidence and identified two persons of interest in his homicide. The autopsy was overseen by forensic pathologist Dr. Michelle DuPre, who stated that they were able to get all the information they needed to move the investigation forward. The persons of interest, Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, were teenagers living near where Smith's body was found. The renewed attention on the case during the trial of Alex Murdaugh led authorities to reexamine the evidence and reverse the initial ruling of a hit-and-run to homicide.
The pathologist who oversaw the exhumation and autopsy of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old who was found dead in 2015, has determined the cause and manner of death, according to a report. Smith's mother hired a team to investigate her son's death, which South Carolina authorities have called a homicide. The investigation gained renewed attention after the Murdaugh family's recent tragedy, and rumors have swirled for years that the family was somehow involved. The private investigation is being bankrolled by a GoFundMe drive that raised more than $120,000.
The body of Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teen who was found dead in 2015, has been exhumed and autopsied as part of a reopened murder investigation. Smith's mother has offered a $35,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of any responsible party. The investigation was reopened after ties to the family of now-convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh were discovered. The GoFundMe account also paid for the exhumation and independent autopsy of Stephen Smith's remains.
The body of Stephen Smith, a South Carolina man who died in 2015, was exhumed for a second autopsy over the weekend as part of a homicide investigation. Smith's death was initially classified as a hit-and-run, but new information prompted the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to reexamine the case. The investigation was opened while probing the Murdaugh family murder case, which drew attention to other deaths linked to the family. Smith was a classmate of Buster Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh’s older brother, but lawyers for Smith's family said Buster Murdaugh "has nothing to do" with the investigation.
The body of Stephen Smith, a teenager who was found dead in 2015, has been exhumed and re-examined as part of a reopened homicide investigation. The investigation was prompted by the trial of Alex Murdaugh, a prominent lawyer who was convicted of murdering his wife and son. Smith's death was initially ruled a hit-and-run, but a homicide investigation was opened after a defensive wound was found on his hand. The Murdaugh family has been connected to the case, but no member has been directly named as being involved. A $35,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
The body of Stephen Smith, who was found dead near the South Carolina property of the Murdaugh family in 2015, has been exhumed as officials re-open the investigation into his death. While officials initially said Smith was hit by a car, they have since said they are treating his death as a homicide. Smith's mother believes her son was murdered and hired lawyers to pay for the investigation. The Murdaugh family has been the subject of speculation in the small town, but no charges have been brought against anyone in the family.
The body of Stephen Smith, whose 2015 death was initially deemed a hit-and-run, was exhumed for an independent autopsy after South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced it was investigating his death as a homicide based on information gleaned during its investigation into the Murdaugh family murders. Smith's family raised over $100,000 for the exhumation and private autopsy. The initial incident report and medical examiner's report cited the cause of death as blunt head trauma sustained from being hit by a vehicle, but there was no evidence of a vehicle accident. The case file reveals a working theory among first responders at the scene that Smith's death was a homicide, and not the result of being struck by a car.
The body of Stephen Smith, a Hampton County teen whose death was recently declared a homicide, was exhumed and examined this weekend. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division re-opened the case in June 2021, and Stephen's family launched an online fundraiser for his body to be independently exhumed and examined. After the new autopsy, Stephen’s body was put back into his grave. No suspects have ever been officially named in the teen’s death, but the Murdaugh family name comes up several times in investigative files.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the death of Stephen Smith, whose body was found on a rural road in 2015, as a homicide. Smith's mother has long believed her son was murdered, possibly because he was gay. The investigation was opened based on information learned during the probe into the murders of Margaret and Paul Murdaugh, but no connection has been announced. Smith was a nursing student who loved to make others smile and was close to his family. His mother has fought for justice for her son for over seven years.
Newly released files from the initial investigation into the death of South Carolina teen Stephen Smith reveal that officials suspected foul play and had heard "rumors" about Smith's link to Buster Murdaugh within weeks of the supposed hit-and-run. Multiple early reports also state that Smith had what appeared to be a gunshot wound above his right brow, and a defensive wound to one of his hands. Buster Murdaugh, now 26, is the surviving son of Low Country legal scion Alex Murdaugh, who was sentenced to two consecutive life terms earlier this month for the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul. Buster and Smith were high school classmates, and Smith's body was notably found not far from the 1,700-acre Moselle estate where Alex Murdaugh later gunned down his loved ones.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has assigned additional agents to investigate the mysterious 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a high school classmate of Buster Murdaugh, in the wake of Alex Murdaugh's conviction. Smith's death was initially ruled a hit-and-run, but investigators have challenged that determination. The Murdaugh family name has come up in connection with the case, but none of them have been charged. Smith's mother plans to use crowdfunding to petition for an independent autopsy, and attorney Eric Bland is helping with the case.
South Carolina authorities have officially declared the death of Stephen Smith a homicide, upgrading it from an assumed hit-and-run accident. Smith's death has been shrouded in mystery since 2015, with the Murdaugh family's name frequently mentioned in connection to the case. The announcement comes after the conviction of Alex Murdaugh for the murders of his wife and son, and the reopening of the investigation into Smith's death. No charges or indictments have been issued yet, but the investigation is ongoing. Smith's family has raised funds to have his body exhumed and independently autopsied.
