After Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to prison for life last month for murdering his wife and younger son, the body of 19-year-old Stephen Smith – a hit-and-run victim and Buster Murdaugh’s ex-schoolmate – was exhumed.

Back in July 2015, Smith was found dead on a dark road in Hampton County, South Carolina. Previously, Smith’s death was ruled a hit-and-run by the deputy coroner. However, the results of his autopsy were not in line with the injuries suffered by him before his death. He has a gash on his head, which looked like it could have been due to the impact of an object or a bullet. There were also no injuries below his torso, which indicated that he likely did not incur a car accident.

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It was also reported that at the scene of his s0-called accident, there was no debris found, suggesting that Smith might have been murdered. Buster Murdaugh, Alex’s eldest son, was named a person of interest in the case at the time as it was later revealed that Buster was the driver of the vehicle involved.

Despite the severity of the incident, Buster was not charged or arrested in connection with Smith’s death. The South Carolina Highway Patrol investigated the accident but ultimately closed the case, stating that there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges against Buster.

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Buster has denied any involvement in the case. However, there was something fishy about the way Randy Murdaugh, Buster’s uncle was quick to help the Smiths after Stephen’s death. This was even before Smith’s body was officially identified. Currently, there are 2 suspects in the case after authorities reclassified the case as a homicide. Sandy Smith, Stephen’s mother has commissioned a private autopsy to find out what caused her son’s death.