When the trial against Alex Murdaugh concluded, authorities announced that they are investigating the dea†h of 19-year-old Stephen Smith as a possible homicide, prompting his family to begin fundraising for a second autopsy. The results of a subsequent autopsy may be “very restricted,” an ex-FBI agent told Newsweek.
Smith’s 2015 dea†h in South Carolina’s Hampton County was deemed a hit-and-run after his body was discovered on Sandy Run Road.
On June 23, 2021, SLED agents received information about Stephen Smith’s dea†h and reviewed the SCHP investigative file. From SCHP case notes it was apparent that the SCHP did not believe Mr. Smith’s death was a hit and run by a motor vehicle, according to a press release issued by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on March 22 of this year.
According to CNN’s reporting, new evidence discovered while looking into the k!llings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh has prompted a reopening of the investigation.
Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was found guilty earlier this month for the 2021 murd*rs of his son Paul and wife Maggie. Smith’s family attorney Eric Bland told Law&Crime that a “piece of evidence” relevant to Smith’s dea†h was discovered during the Murdaugh probe, however Bland did not specify what that “piece of evidence” was.
In light of recent developments, Smith’s family has set up a GoFundMe to collect money for an additional autopsy on the 19-year-body. old’s
While the state can choose and fund an exhumation and new autopsy, it is our understanding that it would be carried out at MUSC, where his dea†h was initially classified as hit-and-run despite no evidence to support such a conclusion,” the GoFundMe Page said, showing donations over $116,000, much more than the original goal of $50,000.
There was no wreckage on the road, and his injuries did not point to a hit-and-run, so we need a fresh set of eyes to take a look at his body and make a factual decision as to what k!lled him.
Ex-FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told, “It’s going to be quite limited.” Not necessarily the outcomes, but all the information gleaned from the initial autopsy will be used by SLED.
Coffindaffer stated that she did not anticipate “gleaning much” from a second autopsy in comparison to the first.
Coffindaffer told, “but I think it puts the family, the mother, at ease knowing that there isn’t anything different, knowing that there’s no evidence that he was shot, and knowing that this autopsy would come to the same thing that there was blunt force trauma.” From a police officer’s point of view, I don’t think anything new or different will be discovered; you won’t notice any changes.
Read on for more information that we have gathered about Stephen Smith at the following links:
- Authorities in South Carolina are Treating Stephen Smiths De@th as Homicide
- Stephen Smiths Mother Updates Fundraising for Exhumation and Autopsy of her Son
“A second independent autopsy would show the level of damage to the body,” Thomas O’Connor, a former FBI agent and current Senior Consultant at The Soufan Group, told. “Bone damage from a vehicle strike would likely be very different from damage to the subject from a strike to the head or strangulation.”
According to O’Connor’s interview with, “a review of the first autopsy could give insight on cause and manner of dea†h,” while a second autopsy would help investigators record information that was missed the first time around.
Note: We have made this article as on the information we get from reliable sources. We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings here.
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