The family said the teen’s body would be exhumed after Alex Mordeau was murdered
The mother of a 19-year-old who was mysteriously found dead on a South Carolina road in 2015 says she intends to exhume his body, with the announcement after state law enforcement officials reopen their investigation into his death in the wake of Alex’s murder. Murdo’s crimes.
Stephen Smith’s mother announced her intention to exhume her son’s body for further examination in a GoFundMe account It was created earlier this month.
“We need a new, unbiased look at his body and an accurate determination of the cause of his death based on the facts. There was no debris in the road, and his injuries were not consistent with a hit-and-run,” states the fundraising page, which as of Sunday had raised nearly $46,000. over its initial target.
The decision follows the South Carolina Department of Law Enforcement (SLED). Announced in 2021 that she would reopen her investigation into Smith’s death due to new information she gathered while investigating the double murders of Paul and Maggie Mordo that same year.
The mother and son were found shot dead in June of 2021 on a hunting property in Colleton County, near where Smith’s body was found six years earlier in Hampton County. Prominent family patriarch Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders last month.
SLED, which did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment Sunday, declined to provide details about its decision when Reached by CNN.
“SLED has made progress with the investigation into the death of Stephen Smith,” the agency said. But this investigation is still active and ongoing.”
Smith was found lying on a road on July 8, 2015, with severe head trauma. Authorities said at the time he was about three miles away from his car, which was found abandoned with the gas tank open.
First responders at the scene believed his head injury could have been caused by a possible gunshot wound, but the coroner’s office ultimately ruled his death a hit-and-run, though several investigators dismiss that theory, according to copies of their testimony. Acquired by WSPA Spartanburg Station.
“I did not see any car debris, skid marks, or injuries consistent with a car hitting a person,” one of the investigators wrote, according to the station. After consulting with [Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team]We see no evidence to suggest that the victim was hit by a car.”
For years after his death, tips also surfaced linking Smith to the Murdaugh family. The Greenville News reported.
Smith’s mother, Sandy Smith, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
