A birthday trip to South Carolina ended in tragedy for a Minnesota woman after she suffered a severe head injury outside an Edisto Beach bar. More than a year later, a bartender has been charged in connection with her death.
Mary Hunt, 68, is facing a voluntary manslaughter charge in the death of Joyce Tomlinson, 62, according to court records and police documents reported by local authorities. The incident happened on Oct. 3, 2025, at Coot’s Bar & Grill on Edisto Island.
Tomlinson had traveled from Minnesota to spend time with her longtime friend Ruth Peterson. The two women had known each other for nearly five decades and were celebrating their 62nd birthdays together.
The evening appeared to be winding down shortly after 10 p.m. Peterson said she went outside to get the car while Tomlinson stayed behind to settle their bill.
According to Peterson’s account to investigators and local television station, she turned back toward the entrance and saw Tomlinson near the stairs. Peterson said Hunt then ran toward her friend and pushed her from behind.
Tomlinson reportedly went headfirst down the concrete stairway and struck her head on a concrete surface at the bottom. Peterson said she immediately ran to her friend and found her seriously injured and unresponsive.
Edisto Beach police responded to the scene. Tomlinson was taken by air to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where doctors performed a craniotomy to relieve pressure and swelling in her brain. Despite treatment, she died about three weeks after the fall.
Police Say Accounts of the Incident Differed
Investigators received conflicting accounts about what happened before Tomlinson fell.
A witness told police that Hunt and Tomlinson had been involved in an argument inside the bar. According to the probable-cause information, the witness said Hunt grabbed Tomlinson by the neck before the woman was pushed toward the stairs.
Hunt gave investigators a different account. She said Tomlinson had been intoxicated and acting belligerently toward employees before falling down the stairs. Peterson disputed that description and said her longtime friend was generally quiet and not confrontational.
The conflicting accounts are now part of a criminal case that will determine what happened in the moments before Tomlinson suffered the fatal injury.
Hunt Faces Voluntary Manslaughter Charge
Hunt was arrested in September 2026 and is being held in the Colleton County Detention Center. She was initially granted a $100,000 bond, but according to the latest reporting, she later violated bond conditions and was taken back into custody.
The voluntary manslaughter charge carries a potential sentence of two to 30 years in South Carolina if there is a conviction. The charge does not mean Hunt has been found guilty, and the case remains pending.
The prosecution of the case comes nearly a year after the original incident, as investigators worked to determine how Tomlinson’s injuries occurred and whether criminal charges were warranted.
A Friendship That Lasted Nearly 50 Years
For Peterson, the case is about more than the circumstances of one night.
She had been friends with Tomlinson for almost 50 years, and the two had traveled together to celebrate their birthdays. What was supposed to be a relaxed trip to the South Carolina coast instead ended with Peterson watching her friend suffer a devastating injury.
Tomlinson’s death has left her family and longtime friends waiting for the criminal case to move forward.
Peterson told that she still struggles to understand how quickly the trip turned into a tragedy.
Hunt remains in custody while the case proceeds through the court system. The available reports do not list a new court date.
