03/22/2023

Authorities Say Teen’s 2015 Death a Homicide Inquiry After Murdaugh Case

Stephen Smith was found dead on a desolate road in Hampton County

The 2015 death of a South Carolina teen is being investigated as a homicide after the Murdaugh family murders led to his case being reopened, authorities and lawyers for the teen's family announced Tuesday.

Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student, was found dead on a desolate road in Hampton County, S.C., in July 2015, in what was reported at the time to be a hit-and-run. His body was found about 15 miles from Moselle, the sprawling hunting estate in Islandton, S.C., owned by the Murdaugh family.

As the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigated the killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, the agency said in 2021 that it was opening a probe into Smith’s death because of new information found during the Murdaugh inquiry.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.