A South Carolina teen who was murdered in 2015 is scheduled to be reinterred after an exhumation over the weekend, and investigators are calling a second autopsy “successful” after collecting new evidence.
Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead on Sandy Run Road in Hampton County, South Carolina, and after an autopsy his death was ruled a hit-and-run eight years ago – although there was some skepticism by law enforcement and Smith’s mother Sandy, on the initial verdict.
Sandy has been vocal about her search for answers, going so far as to offer a $35,000 reward to anyone who might come forward with more information about her son’s tragic death.
There has been renewed interest in the 19-year-old’s death in the wake of Alex Mordo being accused of killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. He was found guilty at trial and sentenced to life in prison in March.
Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teen who was murdered in 2015, is set for a reburial after an exhumation this weekend, as investigators call a second autopsy “successful” after collecting new evidence.
Smith’s grave is pictured after the exhumation, in a photo obtained by TMZ
The South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement (SLED) told Smith family attorney Eric Bland that an unknown “piece of evidence” related to Smith’s death was uncovered during the state’s investigation into the Murdo murders.
said Kenneth Kinsey, Senior Deputy Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department News Nation that after a long period of time it is often difficult to retain substantial new evidence, but that does not appear to be the case with Smith.
“I expect the final report will tell us a little more,” he said.
I know it worked, they say they collected evidence, it was very well documented, and everyone was optimistic about the information that was gathered.
“This is not always the case when you exhume someone after many years.”
Kinsey said he was “excited” by the new report when asked if anything significant could be learned from a body buried eight years ago.
“Well, I don’t want to take it the wrong way,” he said, “but I’m really, really excited about the next report.”
The coroner was very optimistic and said they had everything they needed to give Mr. Smith a proper examination.
I didn’t hear anything negative about it and they were saying it was a very good situation for the Smith family and for the investigation. I have my fingers crossed looking forward to getting some answers for the Smith family.
An attorney for the Smith family announced the exhumation and autopsy on Sunday.
My partner, Ronnie Richter, and I, as attorneys for Sandy Smith, and on behalf of Stephen Smith, would like to thank everyone who contributed to the exhumation, transportation of Stephen, protection and custody of Stephen while he was re-examined, and the second autopsy being performed, and his transfer, said attorney Eric Bland. Then he was returned to his final resting place this past weekend.” wisdom.
Kenneth Kinsey, senior deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department, told NewsNation that after a long period of time it’s often difficult to retain substantial new evidence, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with Smith.
Smith was found dead on the road in Hampton County – just a few miles from Alex Murdaugh’s former hunting ranch. He was at school with the eldest and only surviving son, Buster. His body was recovered on Friday
At this point, authorities have not declared a connection between Smith’s death and the Mordeau family.
However, Buster Murdo, the surviving son of Alex Murdo — who was convicted last month of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul — recently issued a statement staunchly denying any role in Smith’s death.
These baseless rumors of my involvement with Steven and his death are false. I categorically deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.
On Sunday, Bland said an enormous amount of planning had gone into exhuming the bodies.
“The biggest thanks go to South Carolina Chief of Law Enforcement Mark Kell, because without him this could not have gone so smoothly,” he said. “President Kale gave me his word and followed through.”
Sandy launched a GoFundMe page so she could exhume Smith and perform an independent autopsy.
Our family is so grateful to all of you who have come together to help us in our fight for justice for Stephen. I couldn’t have imagined when we started this fundraiser, that it would take off the way it did.
Bland Richter Law Firm announced Monday that it is offering a reward of $35,000 for information or information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for Stephen Smith’s death.
“We hope this reward will encourage anyone with information to come forward and provide the critical details needed to solve this case,” Ronnie Richter told the newspaper.
The key issue here is finding answers for the Smith family. We won’t stop until we stop.
Smith, found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County, just a few miles from Alex Murdaugh’s former hunting ranch. He was at school with Buster.
Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit-and-run accident. But after a wave of interest in the Murdo case, and rumors that Smith and Buster had an affair, Smith’s case was reopened in June 2021.
On March 23, Smith’s death was declared a homicide and photos TMZ got it The disturbed grave appears.
Local news site Fits the news He named two people — Patrick Wilson and Sean Connelly, both 25 years old — as potentially of interest, citing sources from SLED.
Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit-and-run accident. But after a wave of interest in the Murdo case, and rumors that Smith and Buster had an affair, Smith’s case was reopened in June 2021.
Sandy, Smith’s mother, has been vocal about her search for answers, going so far as to offer a $35,000 reward to anyone who might come forward with more information about her son’s tragic death.
According to a FitsNews report, Connelly and Wilson, who were both teenagers at the time, were living in Hampton County when Smith was murdered.
FitsNews claims that five months after Smith’s death, Wilson’s stepfather, Darrell Williams, said Wilson told him Connelly had “beat and killed Stephen Smith.” Williams, in turn, notified law enforcement.
Later, Williams told investigators that Wilson had moved out and did not know where he lived.
When efforts to locate him stalled, Williams said Alex Murdaugh’s brother Randy told him to call the police.
The newspaper reported that Connelly and Wilson were so well known to the police that Wilson faced murder charges, which were dropped.
Online records show Connelly had a lengthy criminal record in South Carolina, including multiple traffic violations, DUIs, domestic violence, hunting without a license, illegally killing a antler-less deer and purchasing alcohol as a minor.
The soldier who discovered Smith’s body did not believe it was a hit-and-run, but the coroner who performed the autopsy theorized Smith was hit in the head by the side mirror of a passing truck that did not stop.
Police said he appeared to have run out of gas and was walking for help, but Bland said Smith had not made any calls on his mobile phone and his shoes, which were loosely tied, were still on his feet.
The renewed interest in the 19-year-old’s death came in the wake of two horrific murders at the hands of Alex Mordeau – who was recently sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.
In honor of Smith, erected at the site where he was found dead in Hampton, South Carolina, in 2015
People who are hit by cars are often found without their shoes on from the force of the wreck.
Smith’s family believes his injuries, including head injuries and a dislocated arm behind him, indicate that he was bludgeoned to death and fell onto the highway.
Bland also hopes that private investigators can collect and analyze mobile phone data from Smith and the people he was communicating with to reconstruct who he hung out with and what he was doing not only before his body was found but also in the weeks leading up to his death.
Stephen had to lead a secret life. Being young and gay in the Low Country was not an easy thing to do, Bland said.
