HAMPTON COUNTY, SC — A South Carolina law firm is offering a $35,000 reward for information on the death of a teen whose body was found in the middle of a rural road in 2015.
Stephen Smith’s body was found on a road in Hampton County, South Carolina on July 8, 2015. Police initially said Smith died in a hit-and-run.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, announced last month that there was no indication in the investigation that Smith was hit by a vehicle.
Smith’s vehicle was found about three miles from where his body was found. According to the report, the car’s gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging out on the side of the car. Investigators said the vehicle’s battery worked, but the car would not start.
SLED announced in June 2021 it was opening an investigation into Smith’s death based on information that was learned while investigating the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh that had happened earlier that month, CNN reported.
Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of killing the mother and son at their home in 2021. He is currently serving two life sentences for their deaths.
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In that investigation, the Murdaugh name was mentioned dozens of times as possibly being connected to Smith’s death, including Buster Murdaugh, FITSnews reported at the time.
Buster Murdaugh, 26, said in a statement last month that he tried to ignore rumors of a romantic relationship with Stephen Smith and that he had nothing to do with his former classmate’s death, WTOC reported.
“I have tried my best to ignore the vicious rumors about my involvement in Stephen Smith’s tragic death that continue to be published in the media as I grieve over the brutal murders of my mother and brother,” Murdaugh said in the statement.
“I love them so much and miss them terribly. I haven’t spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my father’s incarceration,” he continued, complaining about being “harassed” over his family’s ever-deepening scandals.
Smith’s mother, Sandy Smith, has said for years that she thought her son was beaten to death and not hit by a vehicle in Hampton County and she thought someone in the area covered up the crime.
Sandy Smith had started a GoFundMe to have her son’s body exhumed for a private autopsy. She raised more than enough money for that to happen and Stephen’s body was exhumed on Monday, the same day the Bland Richter Law Firm announced it was offering the reward in the case, WJCL-TV reported.
Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the Smith family, told the TV station that the reward money came from the extra raised in the GoFundMe account set up to exhale Stephen’s body.
“We understand that providing information about a crime can be difficult, and we want to support the community however we can to bring closure for the Smith family,” the law firm said in a statement to WJCL.
Anyone with information is asked to contact SLED at 803-737-9000 or email tips@sled.sc.gov.
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