Stephen Smith's Second Autopsy a 'Success' After Body Exhumed—Chief Deputy

The chief deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department has said he is excited about the information a second autopsy on possible homicide victim Stephen Smith may reveal.

In 2015, Smith was found dead on Sandy Run Road in South Carolina's Hampton County. After an autopsy his death was ruled a hit-and-run.

However on March 22, 2023, following the conclusion of the trial of former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said they were re-investigating Smith's death.

Investigators reflecting on the evidence surrounding the alleged incident, as well as from Smith's mother Sandy Smith, have since publicly spoken about their skepticism regarding the initial version of events surrounding Smith's death.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) told the Smith family attorney Eric Bland that an unidentified "piece of evidence" related to Smith's death was uncovered during the state investigation into the Murdaugh murders.

Kinsey spoke to NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield and confirmed that the second autopsy had been a success.

He also said that after the passage of a considerable amount of time, bodies that are exhumed can fail to give any new substantial evidence. However, he noted, based on his conversations with those who conducted the autopsy, this does not appear to be the case for Smith.

Kinsey was asked whether there were any surprises in the second autopsy as he reflected on the ongoing investigation. He replied: "As far as I know, no ma'am but like I said the final report isn't here yet and I am expecting that final report will tell us a little bit more.

"I do know it was a success, they say they did collect evidence, it was very good documentation and everybody was upbeat about the information that was collected.

"That is not always the situation when you exhume someone after so many years."

Banfield pressed Kinsey to say whether anything significant could be learned after the body had been buried for eight years.

He replied: "Well, I don't want to take it the wrong way but I am very very excited about the report coming.

"The pathologist was very upbeat and said they had everything they needed to do a proper examination of Mr. Smith.

"So, I didn't hear anything negative about that and they were saying it was a very good situation for the Smith family and the investigation.

"So, I have got my fingers crossed and I am looking forward to hopefully getting the Smith family some answers."

Newsweek has reached out to the SLED and the Smith family GoFundMe for comment.