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A Google Maps image shows the road where Stephen Smith’s body was found in Hampton County, South Carolina. Investigators say they believe his death was a homicide, not the hit-and-run that was first reported.
Screenshot by Google Maps/NPR
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Screenshot by Google Maps/NPR
A Google Maps image shows the road where Stephen Smith’s body was found in Hampton County, South Carolina. Investigators say they believe his death was a homicide, not the hit-and-run that was first reported.
Screenshot by Google Maps/NPR
Stephen Smith was 19 when his body was found on a two-lane road in rural South Carolina in 2015. His family never accepted the coroner’s decision that Smith died in a hit-and-run. They believe foul play was involved, and state agents agree.
“The case of Stephen Smith is being investigated as a homicide,” Rene Wanderlich, public affairs director for the South Carolina Department of Law Enforcement, told NPR on Wednesday.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Kiel said he was “sure it was a homicide.” situation newspaper. “I don’t think it was a hit and run.”
Interest in Smith’s case soared because of the location where he died.In Hampton County, not far from the Moselle, the shootings of Maggie and Paul Murdeau created an international sensation. SLED agents launched an investigation into Smith’s death in June 2021 — the same month the pair died.
Smith’s family exhuming the body
SLED has issued an update following Smith’s mother Sandy taking new steps to learn more about his death in July 2015. She has raised around $90,000 to fund her own endeavours.
‘Stephen was in the process of discovering himself and his sexuality,’ Sandy Smith told local news outlet Bluffton today A few months after my son died. “He was gay. One rumor said he may have been stalked by a man. Authorities asked me about it, but I’ve heard other stories that I believe more.” .”
Smith went on to say that his son would have been wary of approaching cars on dark roads.
“Probably one of the guys who did this, Stephen told his twin sister that he was ‘cheating’ with a boy,” Smith said. “He also told me he and the boy were planning a deep sea fishing trip in July. Stephen died July 8.”
No signs of a hit-and-run, early reports point to
When he died, Smith was returning home from an evening class at Orangeburg Technical College, where he was studying to become a nurse.
In the early hours of July 8, a 911 caller called police after seeing Smith’s body near the center of Sandy Run Road. His car was later found not far from the location with the fuel cap removed, suggesting it may have run out of gas.
Smith suffered a head injury, but no other injuries were immediately apparent. According to police documents posted online by the FITSNews site, initial reports referred to a possible gunshot wound to Smith’s jury chief.
Smith’s family and police officers at the scene said there were no signs of a hit-and-run where he was found, specifically no wreckage of a vehicle. Police noted that Smith’s shoes remained on his feet even though they were loosely tied. I couldn’t get it.
So why was murder ruled out in the first place?
In her preliminary autopsy report, coroner Dr. Erin Presnell concluded that Smith died after being hit by an automobile (probably a side mirror).
“Following the coroner’s decision, the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office has requested the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) to investigate Smith’s death rather than SLED,” the agency said Wednesday.
Determining the cause of death was very important, as Smith’s death became a matter of highway patrols investigating vehicular deaths instead of SLED helping local agencies investigate homicides.
Smith’s family attorney Ronnie Richter told NPR on Wednesday: “There is now.”
The Murdoh case sparked interest in Smith
This phase of the Smith case unfolds against the backdrop of the Murdoh murder, which occurred about eight miles from where Smith’s body was found.
These killings are due to police reports mentioning the names of the Murdow family numerous times, including citing local rumors that Alex’s surviving son, Buster Murdow, may be involved in some way. With the bright spotlight on the death of Stephen Smith, new attention has been drawn to it.
Smith knew the Murdo family. He attended Wade Hampton High School with Buster. Just weeks ago, Alex Murdau was convicted of murdering his wife and youngest son on a property in the area.
With the murder trial in Murdo completed, Smith’s attorneys say SLED can focus more resources on solving the 2015 case. Authorities have also asked anyone with relevant information to call 803-737-9000 for investigative services.
Rumors are baseless, says Buster Murdau
This week, Buster Murdoh issued a statement Through his attorney, Jim Griffin, he said he had nothing to do with Smith’s death. .
“This has gone on for far too long,” Murdow said. “These unsubstantiated rumors that I was involved in Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death and my heart goes out to the Smith family.”
Murdow said he had not spoken about Smith’s “tragic death” until now because he was grieving for his mother and brother and trying to protect his privacy while facing his father’s criminal trial.
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