Details from slain teen Stephen Smith's autopsy slowly emerging. Here's what we know
Details of a recent autopsy of murder victim Stephen N. Smith are slowly emerging, but the Smith family and the concerned public are still waiting for official results and answers in an eight-year-old unsolved killing that continues to rock the South Carolina Lowcountry and intrigue the world.
The cold case of Smith's unsolved 2015 death, reignited in light of recent events surrounding convicted murderer and accused fraudster Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, has been the subject of rallying cries for justice in recent months, a cry amplified after his mother, Sandy Smith, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an exhumation and an independent autopsy of her son, and to hire new investigators and legal representation in hopes of sparking a new investigation.
Smith's body was found lying in the middle of Sandy Run Road in rural Hampton County in the early morning hours of July 8, 2015, with fatal blunt force trauma to the head and other, secondary injuries.
Originally ruled a vehicular hit-and-run homicide in 2015, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) reopened the case in June 2021 and on March 23 of this year, SLED confirmed to the Smith family that it was officially considering the case a murder investigation.
Now, after the exhumation and a second post-mortem analysis, here is what we know about Smith's autopsy so far:
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Removal of the vault and Stephen Smith's autopsy findings
A spokesperson for Bland Richter, the law firm representing the Smith family, confirmed that the vault containing Smith's remains was removed from Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County on Friday, March 31. For the most part, this was done without alerting the media, said Bland, to protect the privacy of the family.
The vault containing Smith's remains were transported by van and under police escort and protection to Tampa, Florida, where they were removed from the vault and examined, said attorney Eric Bland.
Bland would not disclose the exact location, except to say that it was "a facility that specializes in autopsies." A Google search indicates that there are at least three such facilities in that city: Private Autopsy Services, Private Autopsy Florida, and Final Diagnosis Inc. - The Autopsy Doctor.
The autopsy was conducted by experts hired by the Smith family: Dr. D'Michelle P. DuPre, Dr. Dan Schultz, and Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney, and viewed and photographed by state law enforcement. Schultz is the founder of Final Diagnosis Inc. in Tampa.
The independent pathologists conducted the autopsy on Smith's remains over the weekend, and the body was returned to the grave by 3 p.m. on Sunday.
On Sunday, Sandy Smith posted on her "Justice for Stephen N. Smith Family Page" on Facebook that her "baby is back in his final resting place."
"I now believe that Stephen can really rest at ease because SLED and our team are going to do everything possible to find out just how he died," Bland added.
Despite age of case, "full and complete" autopsy completed
Despite the age of the remains and the embalming process, the pathologists were able to perform "a full and complete autopsy, as if he had died yesterday" said Bland.
Bland said Thursday that all of the autopsy results would be released to SLED "within the next week or so" and added that the results would likely not be publicly released at this time.
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"SLED is knee deep in a robust investigation into Stephen's death and have asked us not to release the results publicly at this time, as this may affect the investigation," said Bland.
The autopsy was a success and included DNA tests, X-rays, bone analysis, and more, said Bland.
Bland did not know if the cause of death — blunt force trauma to the head — had been confirmed yet.
The attorney did not know if any foreign DNA had been found on Smith's remains.
Crime scene forensic expert Dr. Kenny Kinsey, who was not present at the autopsy but was hired along with the trio of pathologists to conduct the independent investigation into Smith's death, told multiple media outlets, including NewsNation and People magazine, that the autopsy was a success and yielded new evidence.
"I do know it was a success, they say they did collect evidence, it was very good documentation, and everybody was upbeat about the information that was collected," Kinsey said. "And that's not always the situation when you exhume someone after so many years."
Kinsey went on to say the final autopsy report was not ready yet, but he said, "I'm very very excited about the report coming and the pathologists were very upbeat."
SLED investigation
SLED spent more than $100,000 to provide a security perimeter, armed escort to Florida, and crime scene experts on standby in Florida, in order for the autopsy to be conducted and properly documented, said Bland.
"SLED is committed to finding answers on how Stephen Smith died," added Bland.
SLED has also located previously "missing" pieces of evidence, including a rape kit conducted on Smith, his clothing, and his blue paint chips found on his person," said Bland.
Bland added that the exhumation, transportation and autopsy operation was a "team effort" that involved a tremendous amount of planning from a local funeral home, the excavators, the H.C. Coroner, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, and the team of pathologists and investigators hired privately by the Smith family and their attorneys.
The GoFundMe page was launched in early March and to date has raised almost $125,000 to pay for the private exhumation, independent autopsy, and to fund the cost of a more in-depth investigation. The Smith family has been critical of law enforcement's handling of the case from its inception.
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Bland Richter LLP urges anyone with information about the events leading up to Stephen Smith's death to come forward and contact SLED.
The reward of $35,000 is being offered for information that leads to the identification and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Stephen Smith's death.
Bland Richter LLP would like to thank SLED Chief Mark Keel and his team for their hard work and dedication to this case. Bland adds, "The paramount issue here is to find answers for the Smith family. We won't stop until we do."
Anyone with information about Stephen Smith's death is urged to contact SLED at 803-737-9000 or email tips@sled.sc.gov.
Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt, the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network will continue to follow the ongoing criminal and civil cases surrounding the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Twitter at @mmdewittjr and support his local and national journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Stephen Smith autopsy: What we know so far on the results
