Gloria Satterfield
Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield died after a fall at the Murdaugh home. Alex Murdaugh collected $4.3 million in insurance but stole the money from her sons.
- Status
- Solved
- Type
- Suspicious Death
- Date
- February 2, 2018
- Location
- Islandton, South Carolina
- Age
- 57
- Gender
- Female
- Decade
- 2010s
- Open
- Partly resolved
- Charges or trial
- ClosedSolved
The case was resolved, for example through a posthumous DNA identification of the perpetrator or the person being found.
Case background and investigation
On February 2, 2018, Gloria Satterfield, 57, the longtime housekeeper for the Murdaugh family, was found with severe head injuries at the Murdaugh home in Hampton County, South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh claimed she tripped over his dogs on the front steps.
Gloria died on February 26 from her injuries. Alex Murdaugh encouraged her sons to file a wrongful death suit against him, directing them to his friend/attorney Cory Fleming.
The insurance company paid $4.3 million to settle the claim. However, Alex Murdaugh and Cory Fleming stole all of the money—Gloria's sons never received a penny.
In 2021, after the Murdaugh murder case brought scrutiny to all of Alex's dealings, the fraud was exposed. Gloria's body was exhumed and her death was reclassified from accidental to undetermined. Alex was convicted of fraud charges related to the theft.
Timeline
-
February 2, 2018Gloria Satterfield injured at Murdaugh home.
-
February 26, 2018Satterfield dies; death ruled accidental.
-
October 1, 2021Insurance fraud exposed; death reclassified.
Sources
References used for this entry. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information. To report an error, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
About this entry
This case is recorded as solved and is kept in the index for its historical and investigative significance. The case was resolved, for example through a posthumous DNA identification of the perpetrator or the person being found.
To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Entry last updated September 29, 2026.
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