"There was no vehicle debris, no broken headlight … paint scrapes or anything," Hampton County Guardian editor Michael DeWitt Jr. tells "48 Hours."
"The injuries can tell us so much about what happened," says Dr. Michelle DuPre, a former investigator and forensic pathologist who oversaw the examination of Smith's body. DuPre spoke to "48 Hours" contributor and CBS News national correspondent Nikki Battiste. Just as important as what they found, DuPre says, is what they didn't find.
Like his mother Sandy, Stephen Smith was born a fighter.
Sandy Smith: He was a preemie. He weighed two pounds, 12 ounces. And —
Nikki Battiste: A twin?
Sandy Smith: Yeah, a twin.
Born at 27 weeks with his sister Stephanie, Sandy says Stephen couldn't breathe on his own. After several months, she was told he might not make it, and she was finally allowed to hold her baby for the first time.
Nikki Battiste: How was that moment?
Sandy Smith: Oh my gosh, it was amazin'. … it was supposed to be my goodbye. But he started breathin' on his own.
Nikki Battiste: 'Cause he felt you?
Sandy Smith: Yeah. … That's why he was my heart.
Sandy never dreamed she'd one day be fighting for answers in her son's death.
Nikki Battiste: How would you describe … the journey that you've been on for justice?
Sandy Smith: It's been a hard journey – just living day by day and fighting day by day.
"48 Hours" obtained exclusive access to the findings of an independent investigation into the unsolved death of the South Carolina teen, whose case was linked to the Murdaughs.
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