His name is going to be right there with everyone elses name and I dont care who knows it.. SCHP: Duncan talks to Stephens family and they reject the ruling that Stephen would have been hit by a car. At nearly $29 million, Clark is set to have the third-largest cap hit in 2023 of any defensive end. "He's on my side . She is working writing an official letter to SLED. More:Murdaughs killed in double homicide in Colleton County: What We Know Smith had a head wound consistent with being shot, the coroner explained in a report. Even after the eight-year veteran enhanced his postseason legend with another prolific stretch . To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. Stephens murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. How injury occurred: Subject was apparently hit by a motor vehicle possibly a truck. "Sandy and I both believe that this was a murder. Stephens friends and family also disputed the autopsy report. Murdaugh Murders: Where is Buster Murdaugh now? Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. 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. 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. It looked like it was more staged, like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.. 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. 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. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run.. 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. Since the murders of Paul Murdaugh, 22, and Maggie Murdaugh 52, the State Law Enforcement Division, the agency that has been investigating the homicides, announced that it will now be investigating the death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith. Todd Proctor, S.C. Highway Patrol's lead investigator in the 2015 Stephen Smith case, tells multiple news outlets that he still doesn't believe Smith died as a result of a hit-and-run. Currently, Murdaugh is on trial for murder for the deaths of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and their son, Paul Murdaugh. 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. Want to contact Mandy? For more on the ever-evolving Murdaugh case, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. Moore is called by Cpl. All Rights Reserved. Todd Proctor, former. The case was mysteriously bounced from investigator to investigator without reasons or notification, Sandy Smith wrote in the letter. 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. The teens had been "grossly intoxicated," according to police, even though they were all underage and could not legally buy alcohol. Investigators reported he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, despite police reports . Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found A Slap In the Face: Update In The Stephen Smith Case And Murdaugh Murders, Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation, Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family, Apparent Human Trafficking Raid Jolts Coastal South Carolina Neighborhood, Murdaugh Murders: South Carolina Attorney General Must Step In And Remove Rogue Solicitor, Powerful Storms, Tornadoes Sweep Through SC: Photos From The Upstate to Lowcountry, SC State House: Speaker Of The House Livid After Close Friend Loses Primary Fight, 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. Sandy Smith was told that if she wanted her sons case to be looked at by SLED, she would have to write a letter. Hampton County Coroners Office: The first of 3 death certificates for Stephen Smith was issued by Washington to the family. July 8, 2015: Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County.No arrest is made in the case. A source close to the family also told FITSNews that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA. 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. Investigators had said at the time that it appeared Smith was hit by a . . 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.. 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. Last Sunday afternoon, family and friends of Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teen who died under mysterious circumstances in 2015, traveled to the Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County, S.C. She had no evidence other than that for the statement being put in the report., Proctor said that he explained to her that law enforcement officers had no evidence of this individual being struck by a vehicle.. He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. She said there appeared to be missing evidence in the case such as the DNA under Stephens fingernails, the clothes he was wearing, and the rape kit. He would not let a car, let alone a truck, get close enough to hit him. 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. Stephen's mother and his twin sister speak out to Melvin . His head was misshapen by blunt force. Build your customFanSided TV email newsletter with news and analysis onNetflix and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Of course, the fact SLED is interviewing Sandy Smith means it is taking seriously the suggestion that the Murdaugh family may have had something to do with the death of her son. Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh is the older brother of Alex Murdaugh, a member of the influential Hampton family. She also said she believed that the Murdaughs influence extended to all realms of the investigation and was initially tainted when it was ruled a hit-and-run incident (see below for part of Sandy Smiths letter). Stephen Smith was 19 when he died in what investigators called a hit-and-run in Hampton County in 2015 . As SLED begins its probe into Stephens death, its important to look back on the 2015 investigation to see what went awry. She tells police Stephen was going to school in Orangeburg and hung out at Bobcat Landing a lot recently. The family keeps his casket open so that people could see what they did to him. 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. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run. Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. He was taken to a . Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol ( SCHP). Maybe there's even manufactured evidence in this case. Investigators with the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) received multiple tips in the aftermath of Smiths death linking his untimely demise to the Murdaugh family. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. He said another investigator had already had, from (his) understanding a heated conversation with her about this issue.. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. What I ended up finding [was] there were a lot of people who didnt want to assist or communicate with us, he said. Thank you, God!. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? Years before Maggie and Paul were killed, there was another murder in South Carolina that also might have ties to the Murdaugh family. "I know that they're working hard and that this is not a cold case," he says. CLICK HERE. It was also clear from the report that there was tension between Presnell and SCHP. It began June 7, when the pretty, college-sweetheart wife and son of Alex Murdaugh, a prominent and powerful lawyer who knows everyone in town, were brutally gunned down at their hunting lodge in . 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. 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. 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. In early June, a son and mother, both members of a. Moore leaves his home and heads to Sandy Run Road. However, his mother, Sandy, told the the Hampton County Guardian, part of the USA TODAY Network, in 2015. Of course, the rumors began from there, with many speculating the Murdaugh family mightve killed Stephen. Sandy told Duncan that she heard rumors about the Murdaugh boys had something to do with Stephens death. CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) - In 2015, Stephen Smith was found dead with a head injury on a rural Hampton County road. SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. CLICK HERE. Cold Cases Database. The driver reportedly told police he first thought Smithwas an animal, but took a second glance and noticed "a white male lying in the middle of the road.". They call him back to tell him they didnt find anything. (Assisted suicide explained). RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. No other evidence was located at the scene, the SLED agent wrote. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . "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. 11:29 a.m. SLED: Tallon and Burke attend autopsy at MUSC. 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. But eight years later, a new investigation says otherwise, with Smith as the subject of the new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. Officials couldnt nail down a cause or manner of death. 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.. The grammar, spelling, etc. Cops investigating the double murder have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies Mallory Beach, 19, died in . July 22, 2015, SCHP: Proctor visits Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. 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. Stephen Smith's body was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County on July 8, 2015. They believed he was walking home when the incident occurred, the report said. His death was ruled a hit-and-run, but his mother Sandy Smith, who attended Sunday's unveiling, has long suspected he was murdered. Her body was found seven days after the February 2019 boat crash. As people of interest in the case come up and you try to get them to speak with you they shut down, Proctor explained. Stephen's murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. Prior to leaving the scene, agents discussed their findings and completed a walkthrough with Inv. Stephen's twin sister, Stephanie Smith, remembered the moment the coroner called her home about Stephen's death. 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. Then he was beat up, so the story just kept changing over and over," said Sandra Smith, Stephen's mother, this week. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. (Is Outer Banks a real place?). SLED agents noted minor injuries to victims left arm, left hand and head. Stephen Smith, a teenager from Hampton . 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. Tallon notes the weather was cloudy and 92 degrees. It was determined that the wound in the victims head was not caused by a fired projectile., The pathologist stated that it appeared the victim was struck by a vehicle., Tallon contacted Singleton to tell him SCHP would need to be contacted to investigate, They collect the Gun Shot Residue (GSR) kit from MUSC, Cause of death: Blunt head trauma due to motor vehicle crash, 7.25-inch laceration on the right side of Stephens forehead along with bruises on both sides of his forehead, Right side of skull has multiple fractures, bruising and contusions, He has smalls cuts on the inside of his left arm, He has cuts and bruises on his right hand, He has cuts on his right arm, including a 6-inch irregular cut on inside of right arm, 12 3-inch aggregate of irregular to angulated abrasions on right arm, Smalls tells him that the doctor was ruling it a motor vehicle accident and they were turning it over to us., Moore then calls Singleton and asks for any notes or information he had.. 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