Police Reopen Investigation into Mysterious Death of South Carolina Teen 8 Years Later

Eight years after he died, police have reopened the investigation into the mysterious death of South Carolina teen Stephen Smith, who was found slain near disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh’s sprawling Moselle estate.

The death of Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student, was previously ruled a hit-and-run after he was discovered dead in the middle of an Islandton, S.C., road in July 2015, 15 miles away from the Murdaugh property, The Messenger previously reported. 

The Smith family long speculated his killing was intentional and linked to the once-prominent and powerful family. 

In June 2021, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced the reopening of the teen’s case, citing information uncovered during the investigation into the murder of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.

Earlier this year, Murdaugh was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the slayings of his wife and younger son, following a sensational six-week trial.

On Monday, the attorney representing Smith’s mother, Sandy Smith, revealed authorities have unlocked his tablet and cell phone, reinvigorating investigative efforts into his perplexing death.

“I think between the phone and the tablet, it will yield some information that, close in proximity to when Stephen was killed, should explain: Was he (Stephen) going away with a prominent person, as he told his mother?” attorney Eric Bland told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Monday. 

“But more importantly, SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) will be able to talk to the investigating officers and confirm whether Alex Murdaugh was at the accident scene,” said Bland.

Sandy alleges she saw Murdaugh at the scene that night.

“It’s very simple. Somebody’s going to have seen him there. I believe my client. I don’t think she’s told one single untruth in this whole process, and she doesn’t have an ax to grind with anybody,” Bland explained, per the outlet.

During an episode of 48 Hours, which aired earlier this week on CBS, forensic pathologist Michelle DuPre said evidence indicates Smith was fatally struck once in the head. 

“The injuries can tell us so much,” DuPre said, explaining that Smith's “linear fracture” likely means he died right where his body was found, disproving theories his body was moved post-killing.

No suspect has ever been identified.

Rumors of a secret romance between Smith and Murdaugh’s older son, Buster, also swirled through South Carolina’s Lowcountry following his 2015 death.

"I did not have any personal, intimate relations with Stephen, and that obviously cannot be proven because it is baseless," Buster previously said in an interview with FOX Nation’s Martha MacCallum, earlier this year. "I never had anything to do with his murder and I never had anything to do with him on a physical level, in any regard."