The star witness in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Kenny Kinsey, is independently investigating the Stephen Smith cold case. Kinsey has reviewed the evidence, the second autopsy, police interviews, and walked the road where Stephen's body was found. The case was reopened in 2021 after the murders of Murdaugh's wife and brother. The State of South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division (SLED) cited information collected during the Murdaugh investigation but did not elaborate on the details.