Stephen Smith
Nineteen-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead on a rural Hampton County road in July 2015. His death was initially treated as a hit-and-run, though no vehicle debris was found. South Carolina investigators reopened the case in 2021 and announced in 2023 that it is being investigated as a homicide; no one has been charged.
- Status
- Unsolved
- Type
- Homicide
- Date
- July 8, 2015
- Location
- Hampton, South Carolina
- Age
- 19
- Gender
- Male
- Decade
- 2010s
- OpenUnsolved
- Partly resolved
- Charges or trial
- Closed
No one has been charged and the case remains open.
Case background and investigation
On July 8, 2015, nineteen-year-old nursing student Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of Sandy Run Road in rural Hampton County, South Carolina. He was a gay young man in a small, conservative community.
The initial investigation classified his death as a hit-and-run, but the pathologist noted that his injuries were inconsistent with a vehicle strike—there was no vehicle debris, no road rash, and his shoes were still on.
During the original investigation, the Murdaugh name appeared in investigators' notes as unverified rumor. No member of the Murdaugh family has been named a suspect or charged, and Buster Murdaugh has publicly denied any involvement in Stephen's death.
In June 2021, SLED opened an investigation into Stephen's death based on information gathered during the Murdaugh double-homicide inquiry. In March 2023 SLED announced it was treating the death as a homicide, and his body was exhumed for an independent autopsy. No arrests have been made.
Timeline
-
July 8, 2015Stephen Smith found dead on Sandy Run Road.
-
June 22, 2021SLED opens an investigation into Smith's death; in March 2023 it announces the death is being investigated as a homicide.
Sources
References used for this entry. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information. To report an error, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
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Entry last updated September 29, 2026.
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