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Investigators will exhume disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh's family housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield's body. Satterfield worked for the Murdaugh family for more than 20 years until her death at the family home in February 2018. Back then, her death was ruled out as an "accidental slip and fall," but now authorities have reopened the investigation.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) spokesperson Renee Wunderlich announced that Satterfield's family agreed to the exhumation, a report by WLTX-TV stated. Wunderlich clarified that the process was going to be intense, saying:
"This is a complex process that will take weeks, not days."
Since October, the infamous lawyer has been in prison after being accused of an alleged misappropriation of nearly $4.3 million in settlement funds that were supposedly owed to Satterfield's sons.
Satterfield's mysterious death at Alex Murdaugh's home
Satterfield's death was considered a mystery, and her body remains a crucial element in investigations concerning Alex Murdaugh. Satterfield's family attorney, Eric Bland, stated that permission was given by the family upon SLED's request to exhume the 57-year-old housekeeper's body.
Bland also stated that SLED would be keeping the family informed on the process.
"We don’t know when. We didn’t want to go to court and fight for it. We’re going to be there. It will be done in a respectful fashion."
At the time of Satterfield's death, no autopsy was conducted. However, in September 2021, Bland and his colleague Ronnie Richter began their investigations into the allegations of insurance fraud related to her death. The lawyer duo then filed a civil lawsuit that brought Murdaugh and another lawyer, Cory Fleming, under fire.
As per the lawsuit, it was alleged that Murdaugh and Fleming hatched a plan to siphon off the $4.3 million insurance payout that was owed to Satterfield's sons following her death.
The plan was strategized so that in the end, Alex Murdaugh was to end up with a significant amount of the insurance money, according to lawsuits and criminal charges against Murdaugh and Fleming.
Once these allegations took center stage, SLED Chief Keel assured his agency would reopen its investigations into Satterfield's death. Speaking on the matter, Keel said:
"We’re going to follow the facts, wherever they are."
Tragic life of the Murdaugh family
Back in June of 2021, 54-year-old Alex Murdaugh made headlines following the death of his wife and son. As per reports, he found his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, 52, and 22-year-old son, Paul, shot death on their 1,770-acre estate in the small town of Islandton, South Carolina. The victims were reportedly killed with two different guns and were near dog kennels.
Although Alex Murdaugh was not charged in either of their deaths, his lawyers stated that he is a person of interest. The infamous lawyer made news again when he allegedly tried to stage his own death. He apparently did it to make sure his 26-year-old son, Buster Murdaugh, got a big insurance payout of $10 million.
Murdaugh was criminally charged over the failed suicide-for-hire plot and is due for trial in that case. As of now, Murdaugh has been suspended from practicing law and faces 74 criminal charges.
Alex Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty. He is being held on a $7 million bond.
