Rowell did not make a note of the Murdaugh tip in his written notes. The vehicle was in park. Years before Maggie and Paul were killed, there was another murder in South Carolina that also might have ties to the Murdaugh family. I asked her why she stated that in the report and her answer was because he was found in the road, Proctor wrote. 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. 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 key is turned over to HCSO personnel. Alex Murdaugh is currently in jail, on a $7 million bond that he has yet to meet, facing 51 charges for financial crimes, and multiple lawsuits. The Hampton County Coroner's Office said the 19-year-old was hit and killed back in 2015 by blunt-force trauma to the head. The family was skeptical of Randy Murdaughs offer and thought it was weird. 4:40 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Washington and asks him if the hit-and-run was his ruling as well. David Rowell, of the SCHP, who tells him that Hampton County Sheriff T.C. June 7, 2021: Alex Murdaugh, 53, calls 911 and reports he found his wife Margaret, 52, and son Paul, then 22, shot dead outside of their home in Islandton, a small community about an hour north of . Sandy and Todd Proctor, two former South Carolina Highway Patrol detectives who investigated Stephen's death, could not find proof to back up claims about the Murdaughs' connection to the case. Rumors and speculation have surrounded Stephen Smith's death on July 8, 2015, when the 19-year-old's body was found on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County with deep gashes to the head just. To be fair, police appeared to be pursuing other persons of interest as well and never named anyone as a suspect. He would have seen headlights coming and got off the road. The family keeps his casket open so that people could see what they did to him. 8:53 a.m. SLED: Burke meets with Moore at Peeples Rhoden Funeral Home in Hampton to provide documentation from the original crime scene and to transfer evidence. Proctor made it clear in his reports that he didnt believe Stephens death was a hit-and-run. Michael E. Duncan of the incident. Smith died on a rural road in Hampton County in 2015, in what was ruled a hit-and-run. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined. Investigation files revealed (part one). 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. South Carolina state investigators have opened an investigation into a fatal 2015 hit-and-run case based on information gleaned from the investigation into the murders of two members of a prominent South Carolina family. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island where she enjoys beach life. Mallory and Paul were part of a group of six teenagers who went out on the boat in 2019. Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 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. Of course, the rumors began from there, with many speculating the Murdaugh family mightve killed Stephen. 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. 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. Even after the eight-year veteran enhanced his postseason legend with another prolific stretch . He tells them to meet him at the funeral home. Im just sitting here like why? It makes no sense, she said. Additional counties and states will be added to this database as time and funding permit. Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, Sandy told FITSNews. They were very withdrawn with what they knew or thought.. 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,. I think its a situation when you grow up and your family is kinda high-profile and you get away withsome things because of your family name, Proctor said in 2015. Randy declined to comment on the statement Stephanie made to investigators regarding his alleged phone call. That's not even the end of the story. SCHP: Moore calls Presnell to try and understand what made her decide Stephen was killed in a hit and run. At the time, investigators said it appeared he was killed in a hit-and-run collision while walking. His right shoulder was partially dislocated. 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. August 18, 2015, SCHP: The coroner tells Proctor that he did not agree with the final autopsy results in the Stephen Smith case. 4:07 a.m. HCSO: Michael Bridges, of the Hampton County Sheriffs Office, responds to scene first (although there are conflicting reports about what time he arrived). (Is Outer Banks a real place?). Investigators bid to solve last weeks double homicide draws fresh scrutiny on 2015 cold case . Or an issue youd like to address proactively? The mother of the 19-year-old Stephen Smith has told news outlets for the past six years that she thought her son was beaten to death and not hit by a vehicle in Hampton County and she. 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 . He would not let a car, let alone a truck, get close enough to hit him. 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. Tallon notes the weather was cloudy and 92 degrees. Is Mother and Son Murder Connected to Death of Woman in Drunken Boat Crash. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Myth? Murdaugh Murders: What happened to Gloria Satterfield? No other items were taken from the vehicle, the report says. They took him from his car; everybody knew his car because he had the ugliest little banana [car] in town. What's the latest update on Stephen Smith's murder? 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. According to NewsNation, Stephens mom Sandy is hoping for answers about her sons death during Alex Murdaughs trial. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). The man says that hes done a lot of drugs and had brain injuries. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Files with the state highway patrol showed that a Murdaugh family member - a. He was found dead in mysterious circumstances in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. "She now has more people than she knows what to do with," says Andrews. At another point in the investigation, Proctor appeared frustrated that local sources were hesitant and scared to speak of the Murdaughs to police. 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. Sandy Smith didnt reveal who she thought killed her son. It was still unclear at this time if this hole was caused by a projectile. But a former state trooper who worked on Smith's case told Fox News last week that he still believes Smith's death might have been a homicide,and not a vehicle collision like the autopsy report said. The 19-year-old had his skull partially crushed and his shoulder dislocated. Sandy mentions that a man at Bi-Lo was giving Stephen trouble, but they became friends. Officially, Smiths death was classified as a hit and run. After interviewing several sources who knew the Murdaugh brothers, SCHP detective Proctormade some significant assessments of the family. 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. Stephen was found dead in the middle of a rural road outside of Hampton. The spokesperson did not say what information SLED had gathered that led the agency to open its own investigation into Stephen's death. 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. He stated he would have to go with the doctors ruling, Moore wrote. 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. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. The Murdaugh familys ties to the legal system sparked questions about whether the investigation into Mallory's death was done properly. The battery was functional, however the vehicle would not start., 9:40 a.m. SLED: Agents leave the scene of the car after doing a walk-through with Singleton and Jarrell. (WTOC/Provided) Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigator would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.. 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). 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. Six years later, Sandy Smith Stephens mother is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son. The final autopsy report said that Stephens cause of death was blunt head trauma, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian vs. vehicle. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run.. But Smith's family refuses to believe it was an accident. 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. 7:28 p.m. SCHP: King calls Moore and tells him that Brock with MAIT would be calling and tells Moore to get in touch with someone from SLED to get them to come out the next day. . "I know that they're working hard and that this is not a cold case," he says. At the time, her death was classified as an accidental slip and fall, but authorities have reopened the investigation. According to court documents, Alex . Stephens murder was ruled a hit-and-run with no one arrested for the crime, but in 2021, the case was reopened. 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. To what historical information she possessed, I am unaware.. Smith was released on bond and now faces six felony charges in the shooting of Alex Murdaugh. They call him back to tell him they didnt find anything. Nothing about this case from the very beginning pointed towards it being a hit and run, Proctor said. 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. 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.. Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of the road outside of Hampton with a gaping head wound, his skull partially crushed and his shoulder dislocated. Moore, of SCHP, gets a call from Cpl. "My hope is that she finds answers that will give her a little bit of peace," she adds. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. 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