Hear 911 call reporting Stephen Smith's death
On July 8, 2015, a man driving in Hampton County, South Carolina, called 911 to report a body lying on the side of a rural road just miles from the Murdaugh family's hunting estate where Alex Murdaugh shot his wife and son six years later.
On July 8, 2015, a man driving in Hampton County, South Carolina, called 911 around 4 a.m. to report a body lying on the side of a rural road just miles from the Murdaugh family's hunting estate where Alex Murdaugh shot his wife and son six years later.
"Hello, I was just driving down Crocketville Road, and I see somebody lying out," the 911 caller, who was headed to work at the time, can be heard saying in a recording obtained by Fox News Digital.
Authorities arrived at the scene later that morning and identified the deceased as 19-year-old Stephen Smith, one of Buster Murdaugh's high school classmates.
Smith's death – initially labeled as a fatal hit-and-run – has come under the spotlight since Alex Murdaugh's March 2 conviction in his wife and son's murders.
BUSTER MURDAUGH BLASTS ‘BASELESS RUMORS’ SURROUNDING 2015 DEATH OF CLASSMATE STEPHEN SMITH
Stephen Smith's mother Sandy Smith says she has raised enough money to exhume her son's body. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/ Facebook)
Crocketville Depot Road in Hampton County turns onto Sandy Run Road, where Smith's body was located.
He's laying in the road. I ain't move him or nothing like that, but somebody's going to hit him. It's dark. Somebody's going to hit him
Initial findings
Around 6 a.m., the first detectives who examined the scene noted that Smith's death "appeared to be a homicide and [South Carolina Law Enforcement Division] SLED was taking it over," according to a written South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) accident investigation report.
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"I was advised there was a possible gunshot wound to the victim's head," an investigator named Booker wrote of his findings on July 8.
READ THE CASE NOTES HERE:
That same day, SCHP Cpl. Michael Duncan was "advised that [investigators] were not needed [at the] autopsy," he wrote, citing SLED and Hampton County Sheriff's Office.
A month later, on Aug. 4, 2015, Booker "was notified by Lt. Brock that the victim did not have a gunshot wound according to the autopsy."
Interviews and tips
Smith's family told Duncan that the 19-year-old "would have never been walking in the middle of the roadway" and that he was "very skittish."
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Investigators also interviewed Marc Bickhardt, who said he was in a relationship with the gay 19-year-old at the time of his death. Bickhardt said he "believed foul play was involved," according to Duncan's notes. Bickhardt called the investigator multiple times after the interview and left voice messages.
Smith's twin sister, Stephanie, told Duncan that her brother "became very secretive about two weeks leading up to" his death, but she "did not know anyone who had a problem with Stephen."
A graphic showing where investigators found Stephen Smith's body in Hampton County, South Carolina. (SCDPS)
Duncan also noted rumors that Smith and Buster Murdaugh may have had a relationship. Buster, now 26, is Alex Murdaugh's eldest and only surviving son.
A man named Darrell Williams called Duncan and said his stepson and another individual "struck and killed" Smith, adding that the reason he "was passing this information on was because Randy Murdaugh," Alex Murdaugh's brother, "told him to call."
BUSTER MURDAUGH BLASTS ‘BASELESS RUMORS’ SURROUNDING 2015 DEATH OF CLASSMATE STEPHEN SMITH
Someone named Dale Staley told investigators that "a green Jeep" had been following Smith "on or the day before he died."
Autopsy results
On July 22, 2015, SCHP Investigator Todd Proctor said he went to the Medical University of South Carolina to speak with pathologist Dr. Erin Presnell about her initial autopsy report.
A cross marks the spot where Stephen Smith was found dead in Hampton County, South Carolina, Feb. 28, 2023. The body of 19-year-old Smith was found there in 2015. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
The report stated that Smith "was possibly struck by a motor vehicle mirror, which was the cause of death," Proctor wrote in his investigative case notes.
As soon as Dr. Presnell came into the room she began in a negative tone stating that I did not have a meeting scheduled and that she was very busy
"She stated that I could not even begin speaking with me about this case without the coroners [sic] consent. I advised her that I had spoken with coroner Washington the day before and she basically called me a liar and said she would call him right then," the investigator wrote.
When he pressed Presnell on why she listed Smith's cause of death as a hit-and-run, she stated it was "because he was found in the road," according to Proctor.
There were no tire marks on the road or debris consistent with a car crash, and Smith didn't have abrasions that would indicate he'd slid across the asphalt, according to investigators, who ordered a gunshot residue test and rape kit to examine any abuse on Smith's body.
Reopening the case
Smith's mother, Sandy Smith, has fought tirelessly for justice since her son's death. In 2016, she wrote a letter to the FBI implicating the Murdaugh family and begging for help.
SLED opened a homicide investigation into Smith's death June 23, 2021 – about two weeks after Alex Murdaugh fatally shot his wife Maggie, 52, and his son, Paul, 22.
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The agency said Smith's death "remains a homicide investigation" in a March 22 statement. "Progress has been made, and SLED's investigation is active and ongoing."
The release did not disclose the nature of the progress. SLED Chief Mark Keel has assigned additional agents to work the case in the hopes that "those who may know what happened to Mr. Smith are more willing to speak freely now than they may have been in 2015 or 2021."
Alex Murdaugh, right, is shown here with his family. His former law firm filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing him of using fake bank accounts to steal money from the firm and clients. (Fox News)
Buster Murdaugh maintains his innocence in Smith's death.
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"These baseless rumors of my involvement in Stephen's death are false," he said in a statement amid speculation after his father's conviction. "My heart goes out to the Smith family."
The Murdaugh family founded a successful personal injury law firm in 1912 and maintained a hold on the local prosecutor's office for decades. Alex Murdaugh is now facing trial for his alleged financial crimes totaling an estimated $9 million. He is accused of embezzling funds from his family's firm and its clients.
Fox News' Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
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