
Stephen Smith: Lingering Questions for Years are Finally Answered. South Carolina Highway Patrol’s MAIT Report Inaccuracies.
Brunson, S.C., — It’s been 3,437 days since Stephen Smith was found dead on the road in Hampton County in the early morning hours of July 8th, 2015. Questions about how Stephen lived and why he died have lingered, generating a fascinating and lucrative cottage industry of speculation.
Unsatisfied with the narrative pushed by folks sitting at a keyboard, CC News Network determined to take a second look at Stephen’s death, follow the facts, get out to the scene, test widely accepted assumptions, and for the first time in media fully “investigate” events, without any agenda or preconceived judgments.
In the process, I interviewed Patrick Wilson who is reportedly one of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s #1 persons of interest. My interview with Patrick Wilson is the first and so far the only interview he’s ever given.
I interviewed dozen of others, some less well known and others not previously considered to be connected to Smiths death.
I’ve been to the crime scene dozens of times, testing theories and narratives, many of which are easily disproven.
I’ve been to the homes where Wilson and Connelly lived in July of 2015. I’ve driven the routes to and from Wilson’s and Connelly’s homes more times than I can count. I’ve visited the spot where Smith abandoned his car. Noting the year, make and model of Stephen’s car, I discovered why he’d left it at the side of the road that fateful night.
I’ve measured the distance Smith had to walk to get home after abandoning his car (2.6 miles).
I’ve measured the width of Sandy Run Road where Stephen was found, which is relevant to why he was walking in the road. I’ve observed how vehicles travel that roadway. I’ve investigated hog hunting in Hampton to the point where I may take it up as a hobby.
You’ll note that I didn’t monetize my investigation or take “the road well traveled.” I haven’t put up billboards. I didn’t start a GoFundMe. I found no answers in court documents or published documentaries. And I haven’t solved anything on Court TV.
Rather, I did what journalists used to do. I followed the facts where ever they led until I could resolve every single unanswered question – at which point I finally understood what happened on July 8th 2015.
And here now are answers to questions that have festered for far too long in the Lowcountry. So what did I find during my investigation? Here are some facts to questions that have aged way too long in the Lowcountry.
Stephen’s Car Problems – Solved
Stephen Smith‘s vehicle, a yellow 2013 Chevrolet Aveo, was found parked off Highway 601, approximately three miles from the scene. According to a 2015 SLED report obtained by local NBC affiliate WIS, the car’s gas tank door was open, with the gas cap hanging loose. While the Aveo’s battery was still operational, the vehicle would not start. Investigators indicated in the report that they believed Stephen had been walking home when the incident took place. His car was 3 miles from where his body was found, so whatever time he left his car, he would have ended up at the spot where he died about 1 hour and 15 minutes later.
An in-depth investigation into the 2013 Chevy Aveo was conducted by the CC News Network, and we discovered that the 2013 Chevy Aveo, Stephen’s car, was notoriously known to have issues with the camshaft position sensor, similar to crankshaft sensor problems. Many readers in the Chevy Aveo Forum site the 2013’s faulty camshaft position sensor that leads to several issues with the car’s performance.
What could happen to Stephen’s car if the camshaft position sensor was faulty in his 2013 Chevy Aveo?
- Engine Stalling: The most common symptom of a failing camshaft sensor is the engine stalling or shutting off unexpectedly while driving. This happens because the engine isn’t receiving proper timing information.
- Hard Starting or No Start: A failing sensor can also cause issues with starting the car. The engine may crank but not start, or it might take multiple attempts to start due to incorrect timing signals being sent to the ECM (Engine Control Module).
Illegal Hog Hunting in Hampton County
My exclusive investigation at the Smith site showed that the distance from the white line to the yellow line is just three human steps, or 8 feet 2 inches. Sandy Smith, Stephen’s mother, says she believes Stephen would have hidden in the grass or corn field if cars were coming. However, if a truck was out hog hunting at 3 am in Hampton County, it’s quite typical for some hog hunters to drive slower than normal speed, use red or green spotlights or night vision, and shoot fire high-powered rifles—just like the one Patrick Wilson said he used when he and Shawn Connelly hunted out of Shawn’s truck so many times. Wilson specifically mentioned using a 9MM high-powered rifle when he shot into Connelly’s side-view mirror.


However, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the only way to hunt feral hogs at night is on registered properties, feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos may be hunted at night with artificial lights and nigh vision devices using any legal firearm, bow, or crossbow. It is also unlawful to hunt feral hogs, coyotes, or armadillos at night within 300 yards of a residence without the permission of the occupant. This yardage restriction does not apply to the landowner hunting their own property, or under the authority of a DNR-issued depredation permit. There are homes all over Sandy Run Rd.

Why Was Stephen in the Middle of Sandy Run Rd?
Solved.
If Stephen saw a familiar blue pick-up truck driving slow, like 20 MPH down Sandy Run Rd, that then turns it’s headlights off, then Stephen sees colored spotlights coming out the window, he may think that they are searching for him. Why would he think they are searching for him? Because Stephen had just left his 2013 Chevy Aveo on the side of the road with the gas cap off at 2 AM in the morning and he was walking to his dad’s house, Joel Smith. Joel Smith lived down the road from Shawn Connelly on Joe Miley Rd. The way to get to Joel Miley Rd from Hwy 601 in Hampton is by going via Sandy Run Rd. You would pass Prince Williams Rd, where Patrick Wilson lived, when walking down Sandy Run Rd.
Now that we know the MAIT Report is wrong in it’s assumption that Sandy Run Rd was 10 foot wide, and is actually 8′ 2″ wide. Stephen would only have had to take 2 steps in the road to meet his demise. Add in the fact that 9 out of 10 cars drive in the middle of Sandy Run Rd, because they drive wide trucks and 8’2″ is too narrow. So stepping into Sandy Run Rd would be stepping straight into an oncoming truck, because the truck would be in the middle of the road, or driving with both tires sides on either side of the yellow line.


Why Were Stephen’s Shoes Still on After Being Hit by a Truck’s Side-View Tow Mirror?
Solved.
Most accident experts in law enforcement will tell you that individuals that are hit by a moving vehicle generally get knocked right out of their shoes.
In collisions involving pedestrians and moving vehicles, the forces exerted can sometimes result in shoes being displaced from the individual. This phenomenon occurs due to the combination of:
- Impact Force:
- When a vehicle strikes a pedestrian, the sudden and forceful impact can dislodge loosely worn or unsecured items, such as shoes, from the individual.
- Physics of the Collision:
- The kinetic energy transferred during the collision may cause the body to be propelled in one direction while the shoes, which are not as firmly attached, remain in place or are scattered.
But if Stephen was hit by a truck’s side-view mirror, as Dr. Erin Presnell, the medical examiner that concluded that Stephen Smith died from being struck by a motor vehicle. Experts in crime scene reconstruction agree that the Speed of the Vehicle matters.
- Lower Speeds (Under 20 mph): At slower speeds, the force is less likely to generate enough kinetic energy to dislodge shoes, especially if the individual maintains some degree of stability.
- Moderate Speeds (20–40 mph): Depending on the force distribution and the reaction of the body (falling, spinning, etc.), shoes may or may not stay on.
- Higher Speeds (Above 40 mph): At these speeds, the likelihood of shoes being knocked off increases, especially if the victim is thrown or dragged.
So if someone was illegally hog hunting on Sandy Run Rd at the same time Stephen was walking to his Dad’s, they would have been coming up to the cornfield that Stephen was found dead in front of. Cornfields are notorious for having hogs rooting through them. The hog hunters would have been driving slowly, around 20 MPH or less. If they turned left from Prince Williams Rd onto Sandy Run Rd, the hunters would have driven faster to the cornfield, but would have slowed down considerably right before the cornfields. This act, in the mind of a 19-year-old Stephen Smith, could have been a sign to him that they were slowing down for him, that they saw him or were looking for him.
But contrary to this, the hog hunters were slowing down for the upcoming cornfield, not Stephen. Their headlights would have been turned off just before Stephen, then red or green colored spotlights would shine out the window towards the cornfield, which is the side Stephen was walking on. But with a black shirt on and khaki shorts on, Stephen would have been hard to see, especially with the headlights off, and both people in the truck were looking towards the cornfield, and not towards the road or Stephen.
This lines up exactly as Patrick Wilson told us in our exclusive interview, and that he has killed hundreds of hogs, and many from shooting from a truck. Another way Patrick admitted this was when he told me that he shot and damaged Shawn Connelly’s passenger side-view mirror just weeks prior to Stephen’s death, while hog hunting. Connelly’s mirror was a tow-mirror, with hard plastic grooves protruding outward on the back of the mirror.
Why Was Stephen’s Gash to His Head in the Shape of a Crescent? Solved.
Based on the image of Connelly’s lifted truck at the time, which appears to be a Chevrolet Z71 or similar model, and factoring in the lift and large tires, the height of the side-view mirrors could be estimated to be around 5 to 6 feet (approximately 60 to 72 inches) from the ground. Stephen Smith was reported to be approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall. This information comes from various reports following his death in 2015, which mentioned his height in connection with the investigation.

We asked several people in the medical field about Smith’s head wound and they all said that it is possible that if the side-view mirror of a truck like the one in the image hit a person in the forehead, it could create a curved mark like Stephen had on his forehead. The design of many side-view towing mirrors, especially those on larger trucks with blunted or rounded edges, can cause a distinct curved or crescent-shaped injury upon impact.
If the gash was deep in the middle, it could indicate the point of initial contact, where the force was greatest. The blunted edges of the mirror could potentially create a more superficial curved mark around the central deep gash, depending on how the mirror struck the head (e.g., glancing blow versus a more direct hit). The height of the mirrors (as estimated around 5 to 6 feet) could also align with where such an injury might occur on a person approximately 5’7″ tall, such as Stephen Smith.
This type of injury is consistent with blunt-force trauma, where an object with a curved or rounded surface creates a distinctive crescent-shaped pattern on the skin, particularly on the forehead. Dr. Erin Presnell, the pathologist who conducted Stephen Smith’s 2015 autopsy, concluded that his cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, likely from being struck by a motor vehicle. In her report, she speculated that the fatal injury could have been caused by the side-view mirror of a passing vehicle.
1. Skin Tension and Elasticity
- Tension Lines (Langer’s Lines):
- The skin on the forehead has natural tension lines that influence how it splits upon impact. These lines typically run horizontally across the forehead.
- A vertical impact (e.g., from a blunt or sharp object) often creates a gash that curves or splits along these lines due to the natural tension in the skin.
- Elastic Recoil:
- The skin is elastic and may retract after being cut or split, which can exaggerate the curvature of the wound.
2. Underlying Anatomy
- Curvature of the Forehead:
- The forehead is not a flat surface; it curves slightly outward. This curvature can influence the direction and shape of a wound when force is applied.
- Bone Proximity:
- The forehead’s skin is tightly adhered to the frontal bone, so the shape and depth of the wound are influenced by the underlying bone structure.
- Impacts that cause a split may also reveal the bone or create a wound that reflects the contours of the forehead.
3. Type of Impact
- Blunt Force Trauma:
- A blunt object may cause a split in the skin if the force is sufficient to overcome its tensile strength.
- The gash might curve depending on the shape of the object and the angle of impact.
- Sharp Force Trauma:
- A deep cut from a sharp object typically follows the path of the blade but may still curve if the skin stretches or tears unevenly.
4. Depth of the Wound
- Deeper Wounds:
- When the wound is deep enough to reach the subcutaneous tissue or even the bone, the split may appear more curved or irregular as the skin pulls away. This is what Stephen’s did.
- Shallower Wounds:
- Shallow wounds are less likely to curve significantly since the skin’s tension is not fully disrupted.
In summary, the skin on the forehead does curve as it splits, especially in the case of deep impacts, due to the natural tension, elasticity, and underlying anatomy of the area. Medically speaking, this is what happened to Stephen Smith after his forehead was struck with the sideview mirror, like the one Connelly had damaged on his truck.
What Were Those Blue Specs on Stephen Smith?
Trace Evidence Analysis Findings
Items Examined:
- Black Nike short-sleeve shirt: No automotive paint detected.
- Khaki Unionbay cargo shorts: No automotive paint detected.
- Cutting taken from item 3: No automotive paint detected.
- Blue Airspeed Footwear shoes: No automotive paint detected.
- Debris collected from items 2-4: Several single-layer metallic blue paint chips were discovered.
Notes from Forensic Scientist Michael Moskal:
“Around 10 single-layer metallic blue paint chips, each approximately 1mm in size, were found. Due to the condition of the sample, no make, model, or year information could be determined. The paint chips are suitable for comparison if additional evidence becomes available.”
Additional Insights:
- Moskal informed James that the PDQ database indicated the paint could originate from various sources, including industrial tools, dumpsters, or signposts.
- The paint was also used on Toyota vehicles manufactured between 1982 and 1988.
- Moskal emphasized the need for more comprehensive paint layer evidence to identify a specific source.
When I asked Patrick Wilson about the whereabouts of Shawn Connelly’s metallic blue Z71 Chevy pick-up truck, he couldn’t recall. First he said it was sold, then he said maybe it was in an accident and totaled. Interesting is Wilson’s lack of memory on such a good friend’s truck, when he had such a detailed recollection of their drunken and drugged escapade on the evening of July 7th, 2015, into the morning of July 8th.
If I’m a SLED agent, I simply look up the vehicle identification number, or VIN of Connelly’s truck, and I track the sale through the SCDMV. They may get lucky and the truck is still painted metallic blue and can test the paint of that truck to the specs found on Stephen Smith to see if they match or not. But what do I know?
Conclusion
It’s been 3,437 days since Stephen Smith was found dead on the road in Hampton County. Too many days have passed. By using investigative tools, I believe that many of the lingering questions about Smith’s death have been answered, backed by factual evidence and interviews conducted into this case.
There is a $35,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers of Stephen Smith. If you know something, call SLED or use our Tip line at CC News Network so we may help guide you through it all.
At this time, no one has been arrested or charged in connection with the death of Stephen Smith. We want to emphasize that we are not accusing any individual or group of committing this crime. All information presented is based on publicly available facts and statements, and our reporting is intended to provide clarity and foster understanding of the case. Any conclusions drawn are solely those of the readers.
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