document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Myth? Mother and son were gunned down on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton. 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. Murdaugh Murders: Where is Buster Murdaugh now? . 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.. 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. SCHP: Moore calls Mitch Altman and tells him to go to the scene and see if he can find any debris. It has been apparent from the first week of the investigation that authorities are covering up critical evidence and we no longer know who to trust, Smith wrote. A mother knows her child, and my son would not do that," Sandy said. His loosely tied shoes were still on and his clothes appeared untouched. The man says that Stephen was harassed in his town and said people screwed with Stephens car battery. Stephen's death is one of several mysterious or accidental deaths that have swirled around the Murdaugh family in recent years. (WTOC/Provided) Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head. The victims hands were bagged. 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. 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 hit-and-run car crash . These boys were coming from a baseball game and I think that they were right behind him, so when he had to pull over, they were right there. One of those deaths? Others in the community reached out to Sandy with rumors that a "Murdaugh boy" may be involved with her son's death. 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. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! The killings also led the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to open a new inquiry into the unsolved death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old whose body was found on a rural road in the area in . (latest case updates), Murdaugh Murders: Was Paul Murdaugh charged for Mallory Beachs death? She told FITSNews this week that SLED came to her house to tell her they were opening an investigation. Similar to the homicide case, SLED has revealed little information to the public since confirming it is reopening the case to the family,Inside Edition Digital previously reported. At the time of his death, Smith was a 19-year-old Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College student who was studying to become a nurse. His death was ruled a. Stephen's twin sister, Stephanie Smith, remembered the moment the coroner called her home about Stephen's death. 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. Feb. 26, 2018: Satterfield dies from her injuries. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Murdaugh, 54, has repeatedly denied any role in the deaths, saying he was visiting his mother and ailing father and discovered his son and wife slain when he returned to their estate. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. The final autopsy report said that Stephens cause of death was blunt head trauma, motor vehicle crash, pedestrian vs. vehicle. Families, entire communities are still reeling . 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.". "[Stephen's mother] has said it was from a broken heart," Susanne Andrews, the founder of #StandingforStephen, a group that raised funds for the headstone, tells PEOPLE. Smith was found dead on July 8, 2015, on Sandy Run Road near Joe Miley Road in Hampton. "And it's amazing to be a part of that and to see it. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). As people of interest in the case come up and you try to get them to speak with you they shut down, Proctor explained. 9:20 a.m. SLED: Agents then responded approximately 3 miles to the victims vehicle on the side of Bamberg Highway. The timeline (below) shows a sketch of how officials came to the decision to rule the death a hit and run and how that decision appeared to confuse nearly everyone involved. It would repeatedly get to a certain point, then the assigned investigator would bow out, perhaps not wanting to take on Solicitor Murdaugh.. 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. Investigation files revealed (part one). The statements are the latest to be revealed in court filings by Dominion as part of its billion-dollar defamation suit against the . 1:43 p.m. SLED: Agents leave MUSC and take evidence to their forensic laboratory. According to NewsNation, Stephens mom Sandy is hoping for answers about her sons death during Alex Murdaughs trial. The Hampton County Coroner's office authorized the autopsy. Detectives speculated a truck had side-swiped him with a rearview mirror as Smith walked along the dark road, according to incident reports. The Murdaugh family has loomed large in the Lowcountry for nearly a century with three generations of its members serving as solicitor (South Carolinas version of a district attorney) over a five-county region between 1920 and 2007. There's a bright light being shined on that county. The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made, Proctor wrote. Six years later, Sandy Smith Stephens mother is still grappling with the pain of not knowing what happened to her son. SLED opened the investigation based on information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, SLED spokesperson Tommy Crosby told FITSNews. According to the autopsy, Greene was responsible for evidence transfer in the case. But eight years later, a new investigation says otherwise, with Smith as the subject of the new docuseries Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. 5:37 a.m. SCHP: Sgt. Upon entering the scene, agents observed that the scene was secured by HCSO personnel and yellow barrier tape, the SLED agent wrote. Sandy told FITSNews shes still clinging to hope even after Thursdays heart-wrenching news. "As any investigator [does],you go off of the evidence. Proctor made it clear in his reports that he didnt believe Stephens death was a hit-and-run. An investigator for the South Carolina Highway Patrol says that he thinks Stephen Smith's body was staged the night of his death in July 2015. 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. 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. SCHP detectives noted the cars gas cap was unscrewed and hanging outside of the gas cap door. No homicide investigation was ever opened, and no referral was ever made to the agency in the case. Despite the lack of tire marks or automobile debris, investigators ruled his death a hit-and-run accident. Moore is called by Cpl. Of course, the rumors began from there, with many speculating the Murdaugh family mightve killed Stephen. M.D. The death was originally thought to be a hit-and-run. 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. 6:25 a.m. SCHP: Moore arrives at the scene and speaks with Hampton County Coroner Ernie Washington, who tells him it is a homicide. 5:18 a.m. SCHP: Booker notifies Cpl. 6:30 p.m. SCHP: Booker and Duncan consult to formulate a plan of action.. A wooden memorial erected for Stephen Nicholas Smith, 19, who was found dead on a country road in 2015. She said shortly after Stephens death that believes her son was beaten to death and the crime covered up. Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death. 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. On July 22, 2015, Proctor visited Presnell at MUSC to get some sort of clarification on the Smith case. "He wouldve called somebody.. 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. His body was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8 with deep gashes to the head. Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, Sandy told FITSNews. In a report (below) by Todd Proctor, a MAIT detective for SCHP, it was clear that investigators didnt agree with the pathologists conclusion to rule the death a hit and run. In the summer of 2015, 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of a rural highway in South Carolina. Alex's. As I was leaving she stated that the report was preliminary and it was my job to figure out what struck him, not hers, Proctor wrote. HAMPTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A new headstone for Stephen Smith was unveiled at the Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County Sunday. Not only is it believed he swept crimes committed by his family under the rug and has been involved in fraud, but hes also been accused of murder. "Here she is seven years later, still hanging in there, still going strong, still ready to do whatever it takes to find the answers," Smith family attorney Mike Hemlepp tells PEOPLE. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. 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. 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 . Proctor made it clear in his reports that he didnt believe Stephens death that believes her was! 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