South Carolina Bartender Charged After Fatal Birthday Trip Incident
A birthday celebration for two friends turned tragic when one allegedly pushed the other down stairs outside a beachside bar, resulting in fatal injuries.
A South Carolina bartender, Mary Lopez Hunt, 68, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature following an incident on Oct. 3, 2025, in which a woman was allegedly pushed down stairs, leading to her death.
The victim, 62-year-old Minnesota resident Joyce Tomlinson, was at Coot’s Bar & Grill on Edisto Island with her best friend, Ruth Peterson, to celebrate their birthdays. Peterson told Fox News Digital that she had gone to retrieve their car when Tomlinson went to pay their tab around 11 p.m.
Peterson recalled seeing Tomlinson at the top of the stairs, briefly speaking with another woman. "Next thing I know, Joyce had turned around to head back down [the stairs], and this woman runs at her, and with both hands just pushes her, and she just sailed," Peterson said, describing Tomlinson as meek and mild. Peterson stated that Tomlinson did not fall or roll down the stairs but went "head first and landed on this concrete slab."
Peterson discovered Tomlinson unresponsive and bleeding from her mouth and ears, immediately recognizing the severity of her friend's injuries. Tomlinson was airlifted to a hospital and died over three weeks later.
According to court records, Hunt told authorities that Tomlinson was belligerent and yelled at bartenders before being asked to leave, and Hunt alleged that Tomlinson fell down the stairs. However, Peterson maintains that Tomlinson was pushed.
Tomlinson and Peterson had been friends for 50 years, having grown up together in Minnesota. Their plan to celebrate their 60th birthdays together was delayed by life events, and they finally embarked on the trip in 2025.
Friends and family remembered Tomlinson as a "loving mom" and a "trustworthy friend." She is survived by a son.
Hunt was initially released on $100,000 bond for each charge, but her bond was later revoked, and she was taken back into custody at the Colleton County Jail. The reason for the bond revocation was not immediately clear. Attorneys for Hunt could not be reached for comment. Coot’s Bar & Grill was contacted for a statement.