Flying Bar M LLC was owned by Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, the wife of Alex Murdaugh, who held the company as its sole member. The South Carolina limited liability company’s main asset was the roughly 1,700-acre Moselle property in Colleton County, where Maggie and her son Paul were killed in June 2021. After her death, her interest in the LLC passed into her estate, and the property was later sold through court-supervised proceedings for $3.9 million.
Colleton County property records identified Maggie Murdaugh as the owner of the rural tract known as Moselle, near Islandton. She held title through Flying Bar M LLC, a member-managed entity in which she was the only member. Because the company was member-managed rather than manager-managed, no separate manager existed; as sole member she was both the owner and the person legally empowered to act for the company. Under South Carolina law, each member of a member-managed LLC acts as an agent of the company and can bind it in ordinary business.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 33 Chapter 44 – Section 33-44-301
What Happened to Ownership After Maggie Murdaugh’s Death
Under South Carolina’s Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, a member’s death triggers dissociation from the LLC. The deceased member’s distributional interest becomes personal property that passes through probate or according to any operating agreement.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 33 Chapter 44 – Section 33-44-501 When Maggie Murdaugh died, her interest in Flying Bar M LLC became part of her estate.
The situation was complicated by the criminal and civil proceedings against Alex Murdaugh. A court placed his assets under receivership after attorneys for his legal adversaries argued the family was draining bank accounts ahead of expected judgments. Greenville attorney Walt Tollison was appointed as special referee to determine how remaining assets would be distributed among victims of Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes. The Moselle property, held through Flying Bar M LLC, was swept into that process.
The Moselle Sale and What’s Left of the LLC
The Moselle property was sold on March 22, 2023, to Jeffrey Godley of Islandton and James Ayer of Ehrhardt for $3.9 million. The proceeds went toward satisfying creditor claims and legal fees connected to the receivership. Once the property changed hands, Flying Bar M LLC lost its primary asset and its practical reason for existing. The new owners have since relisted the property at lower asking prices.
South Carolina law lists several events that trigger LLC dissolution, including events specified in the operating agreement, consent of the required percentage of members, or a judicial determination that winding up the company is equitable.3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 33-44-801 – Events Causing Dissolution and Winding Up of Companys Business Death of the sole member isn’t an automatic dissolution trigger, though it often has that effect in practice when no succession plan exists. Without a formal filing of Articles of Termination, an entity like Flying Bar M can continue to exist on paper even after its assets are gone, lingering as an inactive shell until the paperwork is filed or the state administratively dissolves it for failing to meet ongoing filing requirements.
Why the Secretary of State Doesn’t Show the Owner
If you search Flying Bar M LLC through South Carolina’s Business Entities Online portal, you won’t see Maggie Murdaugh’s name listed as the owner. That isn’t an oversight. The Secretary of State’s office explicitly states that it does not maintain the names or addresses of a company’s officers or directors.4South Carolina Secretary of State. Business Entities
The articles of organization must include the name and address of each organizer and, if the LLC is manager-managed, the name of each initial manager.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Section 33-44-203 – Articles of Organization For a member-managed company, there is no statutory requirement to list individual members in the articles. South Carolina gives organizers a choice between member-managed and manager-managed structures, and if the articles don’t designate the company as manager-managed, it defaults to member-managed.6South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 33 Chapter 44 – Section 33-44-101 Flying Bar M LLC followed that default.
The operating agreement is where ownership percentages, voting rights, profit-sharing, and succession typically live. But operating agreements are not filed with any government agency, and South Carolina law doesn’t even require them to be in writing.7South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 33 Chapter 44 – Section 33-44-103 Members can demand a copy from the company, but the general public cannot. For Flying Bar M LLC, operating details became visible only when litigation forced them into court records.
At the federal level, there is also no public database to check. As of March 2025, FinCEN’s interim final rule exempts entities created in the United States from the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership reporting, limiting the obligation to foreign-formed companies registered to do business in a U.S. state.8FinCEN.gov. Frequently Asked Questions A domestic LLC like Flying Bar M isn’t searchable there.
How to Confirm Ownership of a South Carolina LLC
With the Secretary of State offering only a partial picture, confirming who actually owns a South Carolina LLC usually takes a combination of sources.
Start with the state portal. South Carolina’s Business Entities Online system lets anyone look up an LLC’s registration status, registered agent, designated office address, filed documents, and whether it is member-managed or manager-managed.9South Carolina Secretary of State. Business Entities Online Certificates of Existence can be purchased from the Secretary of State for a $10 statutory fee.4South Carolina Secretary of State. Business Entities
From there, move to the county. In the Flying Bar M case, Colleton County property records tied the Moselle tract directly to Maggie Murdaugh, which is how the sole-member ownership was publicly identifiable. Deeds, mortgages, and tax records often name the human behind the entity because real estate transactions require signatures from people with authority to act. Court filings in civil or probate matters can also surface ownership information that the Secretary of State never collects.
A Different Flying Bar M in Montana
LLC names are registered state by state, so identical names can belong to unrelated companies in different states. Federal records show a Flying Bar M LLC registered in Plains, Montana, with a USDOT number as a motor carrier.10Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. SAFER Web – Company Snapshot That entity has no connection to the South Carolina LLC associated with the Murdaugh family. If you’re researching LLC ownership, confirm the state of formation and the registered address before relying on anything you find.