A rape kit conducted on South Carolina teen Stephen Smith in the aftermath of his 2015 homicide is now in South Carolina Law Enforcement Division custody — but has still not been tested.
Cops had conducted the rape kit on Smith’s remains just hours after the openly gay 19-year-old’s body was found lying dead in the middle of a country road on July 8, 2015 — even though his death had then been ruled a hit-and-run.
But last month, state law enforcement officials announced they are now investigating his death as a homicide based on new information gathered during the investigation into the deaths of disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh‘s wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul.
Police reports from the time of Smith’s death had mentioned the Murdaugh family several times, including rumors that his surviving son Buster was involved in his death and the two were in a relationship.
Authorities, however, are now said to be eyeing two other potential persons of interests in the case.
Stephen Smith (pictured) was found lying in the middle of Sandy Run Road in Hampton County with a blunt force trauma injury to the head on July 8, 2015
Rumors have swirled that Buster Murdaugh (pictured last month) was involved in Smith’s death and the two were having an affair
Smith had been found lying dead on Sandy Run Road, around five miles from the Murdaugh estate in July 2015.
Initially, investigators believed Smith had been shot, with an incident report stating that he had an entry wound in his head and a defensive wound on his hand.
But when the autopsy was conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the manner of death was listed not as homicide but ‘undetermined,’ and it was ruled a hit and run.
Law enforcement then conducted a rape test on the body within hours of Smith’s death, which is now in SLED custody.
Eric Bland, an attorney representing Smith’s mother in the investigation, told The Sun News, he believes the agency has had the kit since 2021 when it took over the investigation, but it has still not been processed.
Dr. Paul Uribe, a Texas-based certified pathologist, said rape kits could be conducted if the death occurred under suspicious circumstances
It remains unclear why law enforcement officials would conduct a rape kit on what they believed was a hit-and-run victim just hours after he was found dead.
But Dr. Paul Uribe, a Texas-based certified pathologist, said rape kits are occasionally collected as part of death investigations — especially if the death occurred under suspicious circumstances.
If there is any inclination a death might be a homicide, he said, it is best to collect potential DNA evidence immediately because it likely won’t be possible to collect later.
And even if it is collected, Uribe said, there usually has to be an impetus to test the kit, which doesn’t usually happen unless the death is ruled a homicide, due to the costs associated with it.
‘It’s very possible, if a case is reopened as a homicide, at the investigator’s discretion, they could decide they want to test it,’ he told The Sun News. ‘At least they have the evidence.’
The test would look for any DNA profiles other than the victim’s in or around his body. But even if another DNA profile is discovered, Uribe said, it would have to match with someone whose DNA is already in a criminal database or is a known suspect.
‘If they find another DNA profile, does that mean there was definitely a sexual assault? No, an investigator needs to look at all the evidence in context,’ he explained.
‘If they [get a match], it might provide some motive.’
But Bland said he does not believe the rape kit will prove relevant in solving the murder, as the initial autopsy did not note any signs of sexual assault.
Police were suspicious that he had been shot, but his death was ruled a hit-and-run
When his body was found, Smith did not have injuries to his lower body, no vehicular debris was found at the scene, nor were there tire marks on the road
Stephen Smith’s car found along Sandy Run Road in Hampton, South Carolina in 2015. The teen’s death was initially ruled a hit and run, but highway patrol officers have since claimed they do not believe the scene was consistent with a road traffic accident
When his body was found, Smith did not have injuries to his lower body, no vehicular debris was found at the scene, nor were there tire marks on the road, consistent with a traffic accident.
Smith had also left his car at the roadside around three miles away, leaving his phone and wallet in the hatchback. His mother Sandy said he would never have left his wallet behind and would have at least called his sister.
‘Stephen was in the process of discovering himself and his sexuality,’ Sandy told local news outlet Bluffton Today months after her son died. ‘He was gay. One rumor is that he may have had a man stalking him, the authorities asked me about that, but I’ve heard other stories I believe more.’
She went on to say that she thought someone Stephen knew from school could have been involved in his death.
‘One of the guys that supposedly did this, Stephen told his twin sister that he had a fling with the boy,’ Smith said. ‘He also told me that he and the boy had a deep sea fishing trip planned for July. Stephen died on the eighth of July.’
The following year, Sandy implicated Buster in her son’s death in a letter to the FBI, referring to rumors that ‘Buster Murdaugh (who graduated with Stephen) beat Stephen to death with a baseball bat.’
Smith’s mother, Sandy, left, had previously implicated Buster in her son’s death
Smith’s gravestone is pictured here. He was openly gay when he died
Investigators have never publicly revealed if there was a link between Smith’s death and the Murdaugh family – despite witnesses allegedly giving tips to law enforcement linking the classmates together.
A Netflix documentary explored their alleged relationship, though at the time Buster refused to give a comment.
More than half of the people interviewed during the investigation mentioned hearing rumors of Buster’s possible involvement in Smith’s death – but he was never brought in for questioning, the documentaries said.
In a statement last month, Buster said: ‘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.
‘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.
‘Before, during and since my father’s trial, I have been targeted and harassed by the media and followers of this story.
‘This has gone on far too long. These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false.
‘I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family.
‘I am requesting that the media immediately stop publishing these defamatory comments and rumors about me.’
He is now thought to be holed up at his lawyer girlfriend’s property in Hilton Head, and was spotted walking dogs at the property several times during his father’s double homicide trial.
Buster Murdaugh (pictured in January) has denied any involvement in Smith’s death
Meanwhile, law enforcement is said to be looking at Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, both 25, as potential persons of interest in Smith’s death.
According to a report by FitsNews report, Connelly and Wilson, who were both teenagers at the time, lived in Hampton County when Smith was killed.
The article, which was penned by the website’s founder Will Folks, alleges that five months after Smith’s death, Wilson’s stepfather, Darrell Williams, said that he was told by his stepson that Connelly ‘struck and killed Stephen Smith.’
Williams in turn notified law enforcement. Later, Williams told investigators that Wilson had moved out and he didn’t know where he was living.
When efforts to locate him stalled, Williams said that he was told to call the police initially by Alex Murdaugh’s brother, Randy.
The FitsNews report goes on to say that at the time of Williams’ phone call to police, Wilson was facing attempted murder charges that were later dropped by a judge who was described as ‘serving at the pleasure of the Murdaughs.’
In addition, within 12 months of Smith’s death, Connelly’s two motor vehicle accident lawsuits, both of which were dropped by ‘Murdaugh-friendly judges,’ according to the website.
Online records show that Connelly has a lengthy criminal record in South Carolina.
His charges range from multiple traffic infractions, including DUIs, domestic violence, hunting without a license, unlawfully killing an antlerless deer and purchasing alcohol as a minor.
Wilson has one charge since his attempted murder charges were dropped, in 2017 he was accused of a boating offense.
