The case of Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. Moore asks about any other injuries on Smith, and Presnell tells him only a partial dislocated right shoulder., He asks Presnell if she found any glass fragments or any other evidence of a motor vehicle and she stated no., I then asked her why she was ruling it as a motor vehicle accident and what she thought caused the head injury, he wrote. Smith was found dead with deep gashes to his head in the middle of a dark Hampton County road on July 8, 2015. The case of Stephen Smith a 19-year-old man from Hampton, S.C. who was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road on July 8, 2015. 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. Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 2. Law enforcement officers believed Smith ran out of gas and started walking home before he was killed. He said that Stephen was being harassed on the night of his death at Sniders Crossroads on the way to Walterboro, South Carolina. As if all of the foregoing wasn't wild enough, apparently, information gathered from the Murdaugh double murder investigation has prompted law enforcement to reopen a case regarding the 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith. Duncan does not include this in his casenotes. The gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging on the side of the vehicle. Michael E. Duncan of the incident. 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. Stephen was sharp and hyper-aware of his surroundings.A toxicology report showed that Stephen was completely sober at the time of his death. At the time, investigators said it appeared he was killed in a hit-and-run collision while walking. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. They believed he was walking home when the incident occurred, the report said. 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. In July 2015, a 19 year old man named Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of the road in Hampton County, South Carolina. No they dont they care about protecting themselves.. Whoever they are, she tells Duncan. 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. But Sandy Smith told the Hampton County Guardian, as reported in the Augusta Chronicle, that there was no glass or plastic shards on the road where Stephens body was found nothing that would indicate the young man was hit in the head by a mirror. Proctor told Fox News that was she said was true. He tells them to meet him at the funeral home. He gets voicemail. Mandy also hosts the Murdaugh Murders podcast. But her dad was "a little iffy on accepting the offer. 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. 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. 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.. Cr. Ive been waiting on this day for 2,174 days, Sandy told FITSNews. In the aftermath of her sons death, Sandy said shes learned that there are two different justice systems in the Palmetto State one for people like the Murdaughs and another for everyone else. Someone just left him in the middle of the road to die . The teens had been "grossly intoxicated," according to police, even though they were all underage and could not legally buy alcohol. He was taken to a . Moore tells him to go to the scene and sit there between 3 and 5 a.m. to document what type of traffic was moving at that time in the morning. "He wouldve called somebody.. 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. 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. Sandy Smith told FITSNews that SLED is investigating her sons death as a homicide which is something she wishes they did six years ago. 5:57 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls King to advise him what was occurring.. The family keeps his casket open so that people could see what they did to him. On June 22, 2021, SLED said it was . This decision to rule his death a hit-and-run appeared to skew the investigation by SCHPs Multi-disciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) who typically investigate accidents, not murders. More:Murdaughs killed in double homicide in Colleton County: What We Know Files with the state highway patrol showed that a Murdaugh family member - a. Stephen Smith's body was found along Sandy Run Road in Hampton County in July 2015. They search the area for cartridge cases. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Smith's death in June of 2021 after agents found information relating to . SLED's reopened investigation was first reported by FITSNews Tuesday evening. Her body was found seven days after the February 2019 boat crash. "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. Then he was beat up, so the story just kept changing over and over," said Sandra Smith, Stephen's mother, this week. 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. Or "king's ransom" waiting to be found Stephen Smith Case Files: Why Was Hampton Teens Death Ruled A Hit And Run In 2015? SCHP: Moore writes I turned the clothing over to Duncan and after a discussion by all parties as to why this did not appear to be related to a motor vehicle.. 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. Investigators had said at the time that it appeared Smith was hit by a . 4:30 a.m. Tuesday: Sandy Smith, mother of Stephen Smith, who was found dead on a rural Hampton County road in 2015, is feeling vindicated, finally, for her instincts. The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made, Proctor wrote. He stated he would have to go with the doctors ruling, Moore wrote. He instead calls Smalls to see if he can get the information. SCHP: Allen tells Duncan and SCHP that they are not needed at the autopsy, according to SLED and HCSO. Murdaugh's. Despite the lack of tire marks or automobile debris, investigators ruled his death a hit-and-run accident. The key located in the victims pocket was used to open the vehicle. The Smith case had originally been ruled a hit-and-run despite evidence from . The investigation was opened "based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh," a SLED spokesperson said. Im tired of them putting Stephen on the back burner, Sandy Smith told FITSNews. The Murdaugh case also prompted police to open an investigation into the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old found dead in the same county, less than 10 miles away. RELATED | Murdaugh Murders: The Latest On The Boat Crash Lawsuit And Obstruction Of Justice Investigation. Stephen's death is one of several mysterious or accidental deaths that have swirled around the Murdaugh family in recent years. M.D. It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined. 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. Two Murdaughs also work for the prominent Hampton, S.C. law firm of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick(PMPED). All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. Photo: Facebook. 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 notes reveal the timeline of investigative measures taken from the momentSmith's body was found July 8, 2015, through December of that year. Murdaugh Murders: What happened to Gloria Satterfield? To submit your loved one for . 8:22 p.m. SCHP: Moore calls Burke. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? (WTOC/Provided) Initial reports indicated he died from blunt force trauma to the head. She tells him they located Smiths car on US 601 and that the gas cap was off. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Upon entering the scene, agents observed that the scene was secured by HCSO personnel and yellow barrier tape, the SLED agent wrote. It said the manner of death (which is either homicide, accident, natural, suicide, or undetermined) was still undetermined, The pathologist also states in the report, that in light of historical information along with the autopsy, these conclusions were made, Proctor wrote. Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. 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