Stephen Smith was found dead along a rural Hampton County road in the pre-dawn hours of July 8, 2015. His death came under mysterious circumstances, and remains unsolved. 

Stephen Smith's death ultimately was ruled a hit-and-run by a medical examiner, despite law enforcement saying there was no solid evidence to prove that's what actually happened. 

Instead, law enforcement treated Stephen's death as a homicide from the start, saying what physical evidence they found indicated a possibly staged accident scene.

Fiery rumors of who was to blame began to burn as the investigation progressed, but the case ultimately went cold. That's until June 2021, weeks after the deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

State police announced they were reopening Stephen's case based on new information found related to the Murdaugh murders, tying yet another death to the beleaguered family.

So how exactly do the Murdaughs fit into Stephen's story? Over the next two episodes we'll examine the possible connections revealed through hours of interviews with Stephen's family and friends, as well as other possible suspects.

More on the Murdaugh saga: https://abcnews4.com/murdaugh

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