On July 8, 2015, the badly injured body of 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of a rural road in South Carolina, just 24 kilometres from the home of the now-infamous Murdaugh family.
The death of the openly gay nursing student was initially ruled a hit and run — but his family, and others, had doubts. Seven years later, Smith’s family is getting another chance at justice.
Family lawyer Eric Bland announced late Sunday night that Smith’s body was exhumed for a second, independent autopsy, then transported back to his final resting place over the weekend.
The news of Smith’s exhumation comes on the heels of a successful GoFundMe effort by his family to raise money for the autopsy.