Stephen Smith Mystery Deepens with Rape Kit Revelation

The mystery surrounding the death of Stephen Smith has taken another turn as a former South Carolina Highway Patrol advisor, Michael Duncan, reflected on why a rape kit was ordered hours after Smith's death.

Duncan spoke to NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield on Wednesday and weighed in on the 2015 investigation into the 19-year-old's death.

Stephen Smith, was a nursing student who was found dead in South Carolina's Hampton County in 2015. His death was officially ruled as a hit-and-run at the time, and no arrests or charges were ever brought.

The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced earlier this week that Smith's case was being reopened and investigated as a homicide.

Banfield asked: "You are retired now but you have been on the job as an investigator for decades. I couldn't understand for a moment why I heard on a hit-and-run, or even a suspected hit-and-run, within 13 hours a rape kit would have been ordered.

"Have you, in your line of work, doing this kind of high-level investigation, ever seen anything like that?"

Duncan replied: "When it comes to traffic accidents, never.

"This was the very first time. I did not have an understanding as to why it was being ordered.

"We were not notified until later that it had been ordered. No, I have no answers for you for why they would order a rape kit for what would be suspected as a hit-and-run, which it wasn't. But I will never understand that."

Banfield also noted that if authorities believed anything other than a typical hit-and-run had occurred, Duncan would have been called in to investigate. She added that he was called off.

Duncan said: "It does not square at all. Again I was puzzled and confused, from the start to when we actually got to pick up the case, why we weren't given the opportunity to be a part of it from the beginning."

Regarding the rape kit, Duncan confirmed that he was made aware that it ended up with SLED but he noted that he was never given any information regarding any results.

Stephen Smith's mother, Sandra Smith, who also goes by the name Sandy, has long been campaigning for a greater look into her son's death.

After the announcement that the investigation had been reopened, she spoke to NewsNation's Chris Cuomo' and detailed her mixed emotions.

She said: "I'm still in shock, I'm elated. Just have a lot of mixed emotions right now, this is what I have been waiting for.

Eric Bland, the family's attorney, of the Bland Richter law firm, accompanied Sandy Smith on NewsNation on Tuesday and said it was a step in the right direction.

Newsweek has contacted Sandra Smith via her GoFundMe Page for comment.