Gloria Satterfield, who worked for the Murdaugh family for more than 20 years, died at the Murdaugh home in February 2018. A source close to the family also told FITSNews that the Beaches have not been questioned again since providing their statements and DNA. 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. Investigators reported he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, despite police reports . It doesnt matter what his sexual preferences were, he was still my son and he was not messing with anybody and was going to school to better himself.. "There was no evidence of this being a hit and run. But Smith's family refuses to believe it was an accident. One of those deaths? Send your tips tomandy@fitsnews.com. "While the many questions about my son's death remain, this action gives me hope that we will get justice for my Stephen," she said. Singleton tells Moore he wasnt at his desk and would call him back in 30 minutes. 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. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. Smith's body was found on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road, near Hampton. Randolph "Randy" Murdaugh is the older brother of Alex Murdaugh, a member of the influential Hampton family. She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off. At the time of his death, Smith was a 19-year-old Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College student who was studying to become a nurse. SLED is simply looking at anyone who may have had a possible motive in the case including the survivors of a high-profile February 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-oldMallory Beach. He would have seen headlights coming and got off the road. Then it turned out it was a hit and run. And now a retired South Carolina state trooper, who led the investigation into Smiths death, told Fox News he had long suspected the case to have been a murder. 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. 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. 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. Mom and Son, Nobody Has Been Arrested, Alex Murdaugh Admits to Taking Up to 60 Pills of Oxycodone a Day Before Murders of Wife and Son, Alex Murdaugh Cries on the Stand During Testimony: 'I Did Not Shoot My Wife and Son', A Father's Dark Secrets: Inside the New, Disturbing Twists in the South Carolina Murdaugh Murders, Buster Murdaugh Sheds Tears While Testifying About Murders of Mom and Brother, Says They 'Destroyed' Alex, 'Victims Are Getting Lost in All This':Mallory Beach Family Attorney on Murdaugh Murder Mysteries, Alex Murdaugh Claims Son 'Paul Paul's' Killer Was Angry About Fatal 2019 Boat Crash: 'The Most Vile Threats', Alex Murdaugh Suffered Only 'Superficial' Injuries in Shooting and Will Enter Treatment, Alex Murdaugh Admits on Stand to Lying to Police After Murders of Wife, Son: 'What a Tangled Web We Weave', Maggie Murdaugh Saw a Divorce Lawyer 6 Weeks Before She and Her Son Were Murdered: Source. How he died remains a mystery to this day. His loosely tied shoes were still on and his clothes appeared untouched. Todd Proctor told Fox News in an exclusivetelevisioninterview. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? 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. It looked like it was more staged, like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.. 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.. He was in school for nursing at the time of his death. 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. . 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. They just dont care about the poor people who cant afford to hire a big-time attorney or private investigators, Sandy said. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! 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. Whoever they are, she tells Duncan. Whoever did this to Stephen should go to prison. According to the autopsy, Greene was responsible for evidence transfer in the case. 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. His death was ruled a. "He had his cell phone, he was six miles from the house," she insisted. At the time of his death, Paul was awaiting trial after being charged with several felonies in connection to the deadly crash, including boating under the influence. "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. How injury occurred: Subject was apparently hit by a motor vehicle possibly a truck. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run, Proctor said. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. She was hoping to hear that they had opened a case in her sons unsolved death. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. What a slap in the face.. Moore is called by Cpl. 6:08 a.m. SCHP: Moore is advised by Allen that MAIT is en route and that Allen is almost at the scene. 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. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. "And it's amazing to be a part of that and to see it. The case is being reexamined, partly because some Murdaugh family members were among those first on the scene. (Center) Alex Murdaugh in Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. His death was officially ruled a hit-and-run, but deep gashes to his head suggested to some he was beaten to death. 9:18 a.m. SLED: Agents release the scene to HCSO personnel and leave. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. is not perfect, but the information is straight from the 100+ page case file. Stephen was not stupid, Stephens friend told FITSNews. 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. 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. 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. 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.. And while South Carolina investigators havent said what evidence prompted them to open the investigation into Smiths death, Proctor told Fox that the Murdaugh name came up during the investigation and that the family was not particularly cooperative. The family was skeptical of Randy Murdaughs offer and thought it was weird. (wrongful death lawsuit updates). "Stephen's getting his final resting place honored and recognized," says Andrews. They believed he was walking home when the incident occurred, the report said. 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 . When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. 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". The official cause of death at the time was that Smith, 19, died from a hit and run. 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.. Is Outer Banks based on a true story? RELATED|Boat Crash Lawsuit: Murdaughs Refuse To Settle, Withhold Financial Records From Victims Family. His death was investigated by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety 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. 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. I just dont believe my son would have been walking in the middle of the road like that. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Myth? 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. No other evidence was located at the scene, the SLED agent wrote. They search the area for cartridge cases. Stephens relative didnt believe the person who said they were dating Stephen and said the family was skeptical of him. The grammar, spelling, etc. CLICK HERE. Smith, 19, of Hampton, was found dead in the middle of a rural road in Hampton County in 2015, three miles from where his car had run out of gas, investigators said, WIS, The Augusta Chronicle,. in. He offers to give the officers his phone and take a lie detector test. Hours later, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Dr. Erin Presnell ruled that Stephen was killed in a hit-and-run accident, a decision which was met with confusion and skepticism by investigators and those who knew Stephen. Six years later, Stephens case is still unsolved. The victim was covered with a sheet., A hole in the skull was located above the victims right eye, SLED agents wrote. 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. "At that point, I hadbeen working highway patrol for 15 years, I've worked several hit and run collisions, and nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run," Inv. there was no evidence that pointed towards this being a hit and run or a vehicle even being involved in it," he continued. The coroners report on Smiths death said he was most likely hit in the head by the mirror of a passing tractor trailer truck as he walked along the dark, two-lane road after he ran out of gas. 6:30 p.m. SCHP: Booker and Duncan consult to formulate a plan of action.. Paul Murdaugh,Alex's son and Randy's nephew, pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges related to Mallory Beach's death. The old way of doing business in Hampton does not exist anymore. "She now has more people than she knows what to do with," says Andrews. According to law enforcement at the time, his death was the consequence of a hit-and-run. At the time, her death was classified as an accidental slip and fall, but authorities have reopened the investigation. SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. Sandy Smith didnt reveal who she thought killed her son. Even Dr. Erin Presnell, a pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), didnt give much information to police about what led her to decide a motor vehicle killed Stephen. Got a tip for a story? She also says shes received a book deal offer and even a Netflix movie opportunity about the case, but shes turned it all down. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. 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 . "He's on my side . Stephen was classmates with the eldest Murdaugh son, Buster, and witnesses at the time of the initial investigation suggested they might have had a relationship. 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. It looked like it was more staged like possibly the body had been placed in the roadway.". Kacen Bayless/AP At the time, police said Smith had a massive head wound and they. Got a tip for a story? 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 . 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. Mom and Son, Authorities Open Investigation into Teen's 2015 Death, 'Somebody's in Danger': 2 Months After Deaths of Prominent S.C. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? 1:43 p.m. SLED: Agents leave MUSC and take evidence to their forensic laboratory. 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. The death was originally thought to be a hit-and-run. His phone and keys were still in his pocket. 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. 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. It just doesnt make any sense. Proctor also wrote in his report that Greene was fired sometime between July 22 August 18, 2015. Death of Stephen Smith, July 8, 2015. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigator would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.. Stephen was found dead in the middle of a rural road outside of Hampton. She tells police Stephen was going to school in Orangeburg and hung out at Bobcat Landing a lot recently. "I just couldn't believe it," she said. No homicide investigation was ever opened, and no referral was ever made to the agency in the case. Mallory and Paul were part of a group of six teenagers who went out on the boat in 2019. They took him from his car; everybody knew his car because he had the ugliest little banana [car] in town. No additional details were provided. Proctor also wrote in his report that Greene was fired sometime between July 22 August 18 2019. 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. Maybe there's even manufactured evidence in this case. 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. They call him back to tell him they didnt find anything. Hes never been around Stephen., When asked who told her that she said Stephens friend, another kid who she named, and a couple other people.. 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