Read 2015 police report on Stephen Smith's death naming Buster Murdaugh

As South Carolina police revisit the 2015 death of Stephen Smith, a young gay man found dead in the middle of the road, DailyMail.com can revisit the explosive police reports which reveal investigators' initial suspicion that he'd been shot dead - and the multiple suggestions that Buster Murdaugh may have been involved. 

Smith was found dead in the middle of the road in 2015, a short walk away from his vehicle. His death is highly suspicious - he suffered severe head trauma and was lying in a position that appeared staged, according to some of those involved in the investigation. 

Despite potential evidence of foul play, SLED - the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division - ruled his death the result of a hit-and-run. 

Stephen Smith was found dead in the middle of the road in 2015. His death remains unsolved, but is now being formally investigated as a murder. Buster Murdaugh, right at his father's trial, has denied any involvement in his death 

Files from the 2015 investigation stated Smith was found in the middle of Sandy Run Road with some sort of blunt force trauma to the head and that there was 'no vehicle debris, skid marks, or injuries consistent with someone being struck by a vehicle'

Smith's body was lying in the middle of the road in a position that looked as though he'd been placed there. He was still wearing his shoes - which was unusual for a car collision 

The Murdaughs are one of South Carolina's most prominent legal families, with family members heading up the 14th Circuit solicitor's office dating back almost a century. Pictured from left to right: Paul, Margaret, Alec and Buster.

The police only began investigating more thoroughly when Alex Murdaugh landed the family back in legal trouble with the murders of his wife and son, Maggie and Paul. 

In June 2021, when Alex Murdaugh was arrested, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the police report in full. 

It gains new relevance today in light of Alex Murdaugh's conviction, and the recent decision by SLED to classify Stephen's death as a homicide.  

One of the first officers who responded said it appeared to be a homicide, and that his injuries were so extreme that it looked like he had been shot. 

An autopsy confirmed that the injury was not a gunshot wound, but was blunt force trauma. 

From the beginning of the investigation, the police involved thought Stephen had been shot because his head wounds were so severe. They immediately considered it a 'homicide' - but it wasn't until this year that the case was formally categorized as such

An investigation log note from August 2015 shows one investigator informing another of a tip questioning whether Stephen and Buster Murdaugh 'ever had any type of relationship'

Another note shows investigators received an anonymous tip months later stating 'Dontereo Aiken along with another black male and a white male (Murdaugh) are the ones involved in the death'

Smith's shoes were still on his feet and loosely tied. 

The files also reveal how police received an anonymous tip email naming Buster Murdaugh and two other men including Dontero Aiken were responsible for his death. 

Neither Murdaugh - who this week issued a full-throated denial of any culpability - nor Aiken have ever been arrested in connection with Smith's death. 

It wasn't the only time Buster Murdaugh's name came up in the case files. 

Stephen Smith's mother also told police that she'd been asked by one of his friends whether he'd ever had 'any kind of relationship' with Buster. 

The police report describes 'rumors' that that was the case. 

Despite being referred to multiple times, it does not appear as though Buster was ever questioned. 

Additionally, as the investigation continued, his grandfather Randolph Murdaugh - who is now deceased - instructed the cops to investigate someone else for the killing. 

Stephen Smith's mother has always believed that her son was murdered