Murdaugh Country Mystery: What The Hell Happened To Stephen Smith?

If the crimes of the Murdaugh family are a knot, there’s one thread we’ll never let go of here at Criminally Obsessed – the unsolved homicide of Stephen Smith. He was found dead on a rural South Carolina road in 2015, and we’ve followed the case through all its twists and turns. 

We’ve spoken with the people closest to Stephen, including his mom, Sandy, and twin sister, Stephanie. Despite moments of hope during a long investigation – an exhumation of Stephen’s body, an independent autopsy, and a ruling of Stephen’s death as a homicide – we still need answers.  

Senior Investigative Reporter Anne Emerson catches up with reporter Valerie Bauerlein - Anne and Valerie reported Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial together in 2023. Since then, Valerie wrote a book on all things Murdaugh, "The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty.”

In this interview, we try to untangle the questions on all our minds: What happened to Stephen Smith? Are we closer to answers? Will we ever know? 

Catch up on all things Murdaugh with our previous coverage:

Criminally Obsessed's YouTube Channel

The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery | Criminally Obsessed 

Our exclusive interview with Tommy Moore 

Our interview with Stephen’s mom, Sandy, and his twin sister, Stephanie