Insets, from left: Joyce Tomlinson (GoFundMe) and Mary Hunt (Colleton County Jail). Background: Coot’s Bar & Grill in Edisto Beach, South Carolina (WCSC).
A bartender in South Carolina allegedly pushed a Minnesota tourist down a staircase, sending her headfirst onto a concrete surface in a fall that ultimately proved fatal, authorities say.
Mary Hunt, 68, faces a voluntary manslaughter charge in connection with the death of 62-year-old Joyce Tomlinson, court records show.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate WCSC reported that the confrontation happened Oct. 3, 2025, at Coot’s Bar & Grill in Edisto Beach.
Tomlinson was visiting the South Carolina coast with Ruth Peterson, a longtime friend who has known her for five decades and lives nearby. The pair were in the area to celebrate turning 62, Peterson told WCSC.
A little after 10 p.m., the women decided to leave. Peterson went outside to bring the car around while Tomlinson stayed behind to settle their bill at the bar.
Peterson said she looked back and saw Tomlinson beginning to walk down the stairs. She then allegedly watched Hunt rush toward her and shove her forcefully from behind with both hands.
Tomlinson reportedly cleared the staircase without striking the steps before landing on a concrete slab and hitting her head.
DON’T MISS: Police Chief Dies After Delivery Truck Crashes Into His Car
“At that point I ran over to her, and I couldn’t find the pulse,” Peterson told the station. “She was bleeding from the ears and from her mouth. I knew it’s a bad head injury.”
According to the arrest affidavit, another witness told investigators that Tomlinson and Hunt had been arguing before Hunt allegedly seized Tomlinson by the neck and pushed her down the stairs.
Hunt offered a different account, authorities said. She claimed Tomlinson was intoxicated and acting aggressively, and maintained that the woman fell down the stairs without being pushed.
Peterson rejected that characterization, describing Tomlinson as “meek” and saying she was not someone who typically confronted others.
Tomlinson was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where she died roughly three weeks after the fall.
“I just can’t believe she’s gone, just like that,” Peterson said.
Hunt was taken into custody earlier this month and remains held at the Colleton County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Court records did not list a date for her next hearing.
The post Birthday vacation for woman with friend of 5 decades turns deadly when bartender shoves her down flight of stairs, cracking her head open: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.
