South Carolina police on Thursday released unheard 911 distress calls made by a distraught lawyer who discovered the dead bodies of his wife and son with gunshot wounds at their home.
The recording the authority released provides very little new information regarding the murder of 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and her 22-year-old son Paul Murdaugh. Officials reported that two victims were shot multiple times on June 7; but no arrests have been made to this day.
In the 911 call released by police, Alex Murdaugh, husband, and father of the victims, immediately identified himself to authorities. He told the operator that his "wife and child have been shot" near dog kennels on his property.
Harrowing 911 Call
In the recording, dogs could be heard barking in the background and Murdaugh seemed to be upset and agitated. He said that neither his wife nor his son was breathing. When the operator asked him if there was anything out of the ordinary in the area, he paused briefly and answered simply, "not particularly, really. No, ma'am."
Murdaugh said he found the dead bodies of his wife and son after getting home from visiting his ill father for a few hours. He is a member of a prominent legal family and his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were elected solicitors in the area despite not being in office any longer, Yahoo News reported.
The State Law Enforcement Division took over the investigation a few hours after the shooting at the request of Colleton County deputies. Very little information regarding the case was released to the public by state police. The police reports that have been heavily redacted and the 911 call recordings were only released after the agency was sued for allegedly breaking the state's open records law.
The recordings showed that Murdaugh repeatedly asked how long it would take for officials to arrive at the scene. He later told the operator that he was going to call other family members and tell them the situation while waiting.
The 22-year-old victim, Paul, was facing felony boating while intoxicated charges after his involvement in a crash that killed one of his friends, Mallory Beach, and injured several others back in 2019. Authorities reopened the 2015 case of 19-year-old Stephen Smith, who was found lifeless on a rural road near the Murdaughs' residence while investigating the murders, Fox News reported.
$100,000 Reward for Information
On Friday, the family of the two victims offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who could provide information that could lead to the solving of the case and the identification and arrest of the killer. The announcement was made three weeks after the mother and son were found shot to death at their property in South Carolina.
The reward will be collected from law firms of Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, and Detrick at Alex's request. In a statement on Friday, the father and husband of the victims expressed their gratitude to all those who have shared their sympathies and offered their assistance in the last few weeks. He said that it was the time to bring justice to his dead family members as he asks for help from the public, ABC News4 reported.
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