Death on the Tracks: A Case Still Defined by What Was Missed

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

by JENN WOOD

***

Cold cases do not stay cold because families stop caring — but they can (and do) stall when incorrect assumptions about the most basic details of the investigation go unchallenged.

A review of investigative records in the 2018 death of Daniel Reed “DJ” Smith has revealed a critical error that may have shaped how at least one major lead was handled.

Smith, a 29-year-old father, was found dead on a remote stretch of railroad tracks in Dorchester County on August 11, 2018. His death was publicly framed as a train strike, though Smith’s family has long maintained he was killed elsewhere and placed on the tracks. FITSNews’ Death on the Tracks investigation has documented numerous red flags in the handling of the case, including conflicting witness statements, limited follow-up on key leads, and internal records that continued to describe the death as suspicious years later.

Now, case files have revealed notations indicating that an individual named Michael Wayne Bunch Sr. was incarcerated at the time of Smith’s death — although detention records show it was actually Michael Wayne Bunch Jr. who was in custody.

This distinction matters…

***

A RECORD THAT DOESN’T LINE UP

Multiple law enforcement documents generated during the investigation — including a Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) investigative report dated April 29, 2019 — contained references stating that “Michael Bunch Sr. was incarcerated in the Dorchester County Detention Center at the time of Smith’s death.”

Another note from S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agent David Owen – who took over the case at the request of the local sheriff – stated that on March 12, 2019, “DCSO Det. Simmons advised S/A Owen that Michael Bunch had been incarcerated in DCDC since July 30, 2018.”

***

***

The problem? The incarceration referenced in the reports was that of Michael Wayne Bunch Jr., not his father.

Bunch Jr. was booked into the Dorchester County Detention Center on July 30, 2018 – and remained incarcerated well past the date Smith was killed. By contrast, there is no record (.pdf) indicating Michael Wayne Bunch Sr. as having been jailed in August 2018.

This distinction appears to have gone uncorrected throughout the investigatory files, however…

***

***

Despite being referenced in interviews as a potential suspect — including statements relayed by multiple witnesses — Bunch does not appear to have been interviewed by investigators. Instead, the investigative file repeatedly points to the assumption that “Bunch” was unavailable to be questioned due to incarceration, an assumption that appears to have rested on the aforementioned error.

A review of the case file does not indicate whether Owen independently verified which Michael Bunch was actually incarcerated — despite the presence of both a father and son with the same name in the investigative orbit.

That oversight becomes more significant in light of later developments…

***

RELATED | DEATH ON THE TRACKS: A NEW CHAPTER

***

THE UNREDACTED JAILHOUSE INTERVIEW

In October 2022, a jailhouse informant named Everett Eadie requested to speak with investigators about what he described as a “murder.” In a DCSO investigative report — initially released in redacted form — Eadie detailed an account in which he alleged Smith was picked up, killed in a vehicle, and later placed on railroad tracks to stage an accident.

In the unredacted version of that report, now obtained by FITSNews, Eadie explicitly named Mikey Bunch Sr. as one of the individuals involved — alongside two other individuals. Eadie claimed Smith’s killing stemmed from a dispute “over a girl” and described specific actions allegedly taken before and after Smith’s death.

The report was ultimately marked “NO ACTION / INTERVIEW ONLY.”

While DCSO officials have since said Eadie’s statements were discredited, the newly obtained unredacted report adds context to earlier investigative decisions — including assumptions about who was (and was not) available to be interviewed regarding the “murder.”

This discrepancy obviously does not establish guilt – nor does it validate the inmate’s account. But it does underscore a recurring theme in the Smith investigation: critical details left untested. If investigators believed a potential suspect was unavailable due to incarceration — and that belief was inaccurate — a meaningful opportunity to clarify timelines, relationships, and contradictions may have been lost.

For Smith’s family, the revelation is another example of why their continued push for transparency is so important.

“Every time we look deeper, we find something that doesn’t add up,” Smith’s mother, Lesia Melendez, has said. “That’s why we won’t stop asking questions.”

The Smith case remains in what DCSO officials describe as “administrative status.” Any new information, they say, would be referred to SLED – as they remain the lead investigative agency for the case.

SLED was provided multiple specific questions about its handling of the investigation which it is currently “looking into… to see what information can be provided.”

“Please note that the case you are asking about is closed,” the agency noted.

The newly surfaced records do not solve the case of Smith’s murder. But they reinforce what his family has argued for nearly eight years: that assumptions hardened too quickly, and that unanswered questions — even about something as basic as who was in jail — continue to case shadows of doubt over the investigation.

Anyone with information about the circumstances surrounding DJ Smith’s death is encouraged to contact FITSNews at research@fitsnews.com.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.