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 is accused of shoving a vacationer down a flight of stairs, causing the woman to fall headfirst on a slab of concrete and killing her.
Mary Hunt, 68, is accused of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 62-year-old Joyce Tomlinson of Minnesota, court records say.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local CBS affiliate WCSC, the incident occurred on Oct. 3, 2025, at Coot's Bar & Grill in Edisto Beach.
Tomlinson was vacationing with Ruth Peterson, her friend of five decades who lives in the area. Both were celebrating their 62nd birthdays, Peterson said in an interview with WCSC.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the two decided to head home for the night. Peterson said she went to grab the car while Tomlinson remained in the bar to pay the tab.
"I turned around to see if she had come out yet. Joyce turned back around to head down the stairs. The lady just took off running and pushed her with both hands as hard as she could in the back," Peterson told the TV station.
Tomlinson "sailed" over the steps without hitting a single one, then hit a slab of concrete, her head slamming against it.
"At that point I ran over to her, and I couldn't find the pulse," Peterson said. "She was bleeding from the ears and from her mouth. I knew it's a bad head injury."
A witness reportedly told cops that Tomlinson and Hunt were arguing before the suspect grabbed the victim by the neck and pushed her down the stairs.
Hunt blamed Tomlinson. She said Tomlinson was drunk and belligerent before she fell down the stairs on her own.
But Peterson disputed that, saying her friend was "meek" and "not a very confrontational person."
Paramedics airlifted Tomlinson to a hospital where she died about three weeks later.
"I just can't believe she's gone, just like that," Peterson said.
Hunt was arrested earlier this month. She remains in the Colleton County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Her next court date was not listed.