Insets, from left: Joyce Tomlinson (GoFundMe) and Mary Hunt (Colleton County Jail). Background: Coot’s Bar & Grill in Edisto Beach, South Carolina (WCSC).
A South Carolina bartender allegedly shoved a vacationing woman down a staircase, sending her headfirst onto a concrete slab and ultimately causing her death.
Mary Hunt, 68, faces a voluntary manslaughter charge in connection with the death of 62-year-old Joyce Tomlinson, a Minnesota resident, according to court records.
The incident happened on Oct. 3, 2025, at Coot’s Bar & Grill in Edisto Beach, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate WCSC.
Tomlinson was visiting the area with Ruth Peterson, a longtime friend of 50 years who lives locally. The two women were celebrating their 62nd birthdays, Peterson told WCSC.
Just after 10 p.m., they decided to leave for the night. Peterson went outside to retrieve the car while Tomlinson stayed behind to settle their tab.
Peterson said she turned around to check on her friend and saw Tomlinson begin walking down the stairs. She then claimed Hunt suddenly ran toward Tomlinson and pushed her forcefully in the back with both hands.
Tomlinson reportedly went over the stairs without striking any of them before landing on a concrete slab, where her head hit the surface.
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Peterson rushed to her friend and could not find a pulse. She told the station that Tomlinson was bleeding from her ears and mouth, making it clear that she had suffered a severe head injury.
A witness allegedly told police that Tomlinson and Hunt had been arguing before Hunt grabbed Tomlinson by the neck and pushed her down the stairs.
Hunt offered a different account, blaming Tomlinson and claiming the woman was intoxicated and belligerent before falling down the stairs by herself.
Peterson rejected that characterization, describing Tomlinson as “meek” and saying she was not confrontational.
Tomlinson was airlifted to a hospital, where she died approximately three weeks later.
“I just can’t believe she’s gone, just like that,” Peterson said.
Hunt was arrested earlier this month and remains jailed at the Colleton County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Her next court appearance had not been listed.
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.