Stephen Smith
Nineteen-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead on a rural Hampton County road. His death was ruled a hit-and-run but showed no vehicle evidence. Multiple witnesses named a Murdaugh connection.
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 investigation, multiple witnesses mentioned the name 'Murdaugh' in connection with Stephen's death. Some said Buster Murdaugh, Paul's older brother, had a relationship with Stephen.
In 2022, after the Murdaugh murder case brought new scrutiny, SLED opened a homicide investigation into Stephen's death. His body was exhumed and his death was reclassified as homicide by blunt force trauma. No arrests have been made.
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