New evidence found after ‘successful’ independent autopsy of exhumed body of South Carolina teen, Stephen Smith, who was found dead near Alex Murdaugh’s hunting lodge – Persons of interest named
NEW evidence is found after ‘successful’ independent autopsy of Stephen Smith’s exhumed body
South Carolina teen Stephen Smith who was killed in 2015 will be reburied after renewed interest in his death led to his body to be exhumed for a second autopsy on Friday
Smith, 19, who was openly gay was classmates with the eldest and only surviving Murdaugh son, Buster, was found dead in the road in Hampton County, a few miles from Alex Murdaugh’s former hunting estate
Skepticism has trailed the initial autopsy ruling that cause of death was a ‘hit and run’, including from law enforcement, as well as Smith’s mother, Sandy Smith, who has insisted that her son was murdered.
Forensic experts say the second autopsy was a ‘success’ and that despite the body being buried for eight years fresh evidence was collected
Sandy Smith has also offered a $35,000 reward for anyone with information on her son’s death
Investigators have not found links to the Murdaugh family at present, but Buster Murdaugh in a statement from his attorney dismissed rumors linking him to Stephen Smith’s fate as ‘baseless’
Local media Local named two people, Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, both 25, as being potentially of interest, citing sources from SLED
Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teen who was killed in 2015, is set to be reburied after his body was exhumed at the weekend with investigators calling the second autopsy a ‘success’ after collecting fresh evidence
A South Carolina teen who was killed in 2015 is set to be reburied after his body was exhumed at the weekend with investigators calling the second autopsy a ‘success’ after collecting fresh evidence.
Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead on a Sandy Run road in Hampton County, South Carolina back in July, 2015. His body was exhumed on Friday for a second autopsy.
The deputy coroner who conducted the initial autopsy ruled the death a hit and run, but that never made sense.
However, the skepticism has trailed this initial ruling including from law enforcement as well as Smith’s mother, Sandy Smith, who has insisted that her son was murdered.
Smith had a gash in his head from either a bullet or some object, but no injuries below the torso, something that would make no sense in a car accident.
There was no debris from the car on the road, and there are other factors clearly pointing to homicide
Stephen Smith was found dead in the road in Hampton County, a few miles from Alex Murdaugh ‘s former hunting estate. He was classmates with the eldest and only surviving son Buster. Smith’s body was exhumed Friday as investigation reopened into cause of death
Stephen’s mother Sandy has been vocal about her search for answers, going as far as to offer a $35,000 reward for anyone who might come forward with more information about her son’s tragic death.
A renewed interest into the 19-year-old’s death came in the wake of Alex Murdaugh being charged with the murders of his wife Maggie and younger son Paul.
The former high flying South Carolina attorney was found guilty at trial and handed to two life sentences in March.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division told Smith family attorney, Eric Bland, that an unidentified ‘piece of evidence’ related to Smith’s death was uncovered during the state investigation into the Murdaugh murders.
Chief deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department Kenneth Kinsey told NewsNation that after a considerable amount of time its often difficult to retain substantial new evidence, however this did not seem to be the case with Smith.
‘I am expecting that final report will tell us a little bit more,’ he said.
‘I do know it was a success, they say they did collect evidence, it was very good documentation, and everybody was upbeat about the information that was collected.
‘That is not always the situation when you exhume someone after so many years.’ Kinsey said he was ‘excited’ about the new report coming when asked whether anything significant could be learned from a body buried eight years ago.
‘Well, I don’t want to take it the wrong way, but I am very, very, excited about the report coming,’ he said.
‘The pathologist was very upbeat and said they had everything they needed to do a proper examination of Mr. Smith.
‘I didn’t hear anything negative about that and they were saying it was a very good situation for the Smith family and the investigation. I have got my fingers crossed and I am looking forward to hopefully getting the Smith family some answers.’
Eric Bland attorney for Smith’s family announced the exhumation and autopsy on Sunday.
Kenneth Kinsey, [photo], Chief Deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Dept. said ‘I do know it was a success, they say they did collect evidence, it was very good documentation, and everybody was upbeat about the information collected’
Smith was found dead in the road in Hampton County, just a few miles from Alex Murdaugh ‘s former hunting estate.
He was classmates with Buster the surviving son of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, who last month was found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and younger son Paul.
At this point, authorities have not announced a connection between Smith’s death and the Murdaugh family.
However, Buster Murdaugh, recently released a statement through his attorney Jim Griffin, vehemently denying any part in Smith’s death.
‘These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.’
Smith’s mother Sandy Williams, launched a GoFundMe page so she could exhume Smith’s body and conduct an independent autopsy.
‘Our family is so very grateful to all of you who came together to help us in our fight for justice for Stephen. I could not have imagined when we began this fundraiser that it would take off the way that it did,’ she wrote.
The Bland Richter Law Firm announced on Monday that a $35,000 reward is being offered for information or a tip that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the death of Stephen Smith.
‘We hope that this reward will encourage anyone with information to come forward and provide the critical details needed to solve this case,’ Ronnie Richter told the outlet.
‘The paramount issue here is to find answers for the Smith family. We won’t stop until we do.’
Smith, was found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County, just a few miles from Alex Murdaugh’s former hunting estate. He was at school with Buster.
Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit and run. But following the flurry of interest in the Murdaugh case, and rumors that Smith and Buster had a sexual relationship, Smith’s case was reopened in June 2021.
On March 23 Smith’s death was declared a homicide and photos obtained by TMZ show the disturbed grave. Local news website FitsNews has named two people, Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, both 25, as being potentially of interest, citing sources from SLED.
Smith, [seen in photo with his mom], who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit and run. But following the flurry of interest in the Murdaugh case, and rumors that Smith and Buster had a sexual relationship, Smith’s case was reopened in June 2021
According to the FitsNews report, Connelly and Wilson, who were both teenagers at the time, lived in Hampton County when Smith was killed.
FitsNews alleges that five months after Smith’s death, Wilson’s stepfather, Darrell Williams, said that he was told by Wilson that Connelly ‘struck and killed Stephen Smith.’ Williams in turn notified law enforcement.
Later, Williams told investigators that Wilson had moved out and he didn’t know where he was living.
When efforts to locate him stalled, Williams said that he was told to call the police by Alex Murdaugh’s brother, Randy.
When efforts to locate him stalled, Williams said that he was told to call the police by Alex Murdaugh’s brother, Randy.
Stephen’s mom, Sandy Smith [photo], mom, has been vocal about her search for answers, going as far as to offer a $35,000 reward for anyone who might come forward with more information about her son’s tragic death
The paper reported that both Connelly and Wilson were well known to police, with Wilson facing murder charges, which were dropped.
Online records show that Connelly has a lengthy criminal record in South Carolina, including multiple traffic infractions, DUIs, domestic violence, hunting without a license, unlawfully killing an antler-less deer and purchasing alcohol as a minor.
The trooper who discovered Smith’s body did not think it was a hit and run, but the pathologist who did the autopsy theorized Smith was hit in the head by the side mirror of a passing truck that did not stop.
A tribute for Smith, erected at the site where he was found dead in Hampton, South Carolina, in 2015
According to the FitsNews report, Connelly and Wilson, who were both teenagers at the time, lived in Hampton County when Smith was killed.
FitsNews alleges that five months after Smith’s death, Wilson’s stepfather, Darrell Williams, said that he was told by Wilson that Connelly ‘struck and killed Stephen Smith.’ Williams in turn notified law enforcement.
Later, Williams told investigators that Wilson had moved out and he didn’t know where he was living.
When efforts to locate him stalled, Williams said that he was told to call the police by Alex Murdaugh’s brother, Randy.
The paper reported that both Connelly and Wilson were well known to police, with Wilson facing murder charges, which were dropped.
A renewed interest into the 19-year-old’s death came in the wake of two grisly murders at the hands of Alex Murdaugh [left], who was recently convicted to two life sentences for killing his wife Maggie and younger son Paul [center]
Online records show that Connelly has a lengthy criminal record in South Carolina, including multiple traffic infractions, DUIs, domestic violence, hunting without a license, unlawfully killing an antler-less deer and purchasing alcohol as a minor.
The trooper who discovered Smith’s body did not think it was a hit and run, but the pathologist who did the autopsy theorized Smith was hit in the head by the side mirror of a passing truck that did not stop.
Police said it appeared he ran out of gas and was walking for help, but Bland said Smith didn’t make any calls on his cellphone and his shoes, which were tied loosely, were still on his feet.
In a statement made by his attorney Buster Murdaugh denied the rumors of involvement with Stephen Smith, which he called ‘baseless’
People hit by cars are often found without their shoes from the force of the wreck.
Smith’s family thinks his injuries, including head injuries and a dislocated arm bent behind him, indicate he was beaten to death and dropped on the highway.
Bland also hopes the private investigators can gather and analyze cellphone data from Smith and the people he was communicating with to reconstruct who he was hanging out with and what he was doing not just right before his body was found but also in the weeks before his death.
‘Stephen had to live a secret life. Being young and gay in the Low Country was not an easy thing to do,’ Bland said.
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