Woman dies after allegedly being shoved down stairs at Edisto Island bar; bartender charged

Right · 2Mary Lopez Hunt, 68, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, according to Colleton County court records. 1 2 Right · 2The charges relate to an incident at about 11 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2025, at Coot's Bar & Grill on Edisto Island, where Joyce Tomlinson, a 62-year-old Minnesota resident, was allegedly shoved down stairs and left fatally injured. 1 2 Right · 2Tomlinson's friend Ruth Peterson told Fox News Digital on Oct. 1, 2026, that she saw Tomlinson exchange words briefly with another woman at the top of the stairs, though she could not hear what was said, and then saw the woman run at Tomlinson and push her with both hands. 1 2

Right · 2Peterson said Tomlinson did not touch the steps, went head first and landed on a concrete slab; Peterson said she could not find a pulse and Tomlinson bled from her mouth and ears. 1 2 Right · 2Hunt told authorities that Tomlinson was belligerent and yelled at bartenders before she was asked to leave, according to records, and she alleges Tomlinson fell down the stairs. 1 2 Right · 2According to a heavily redacted report, authorities who arrived found Tomlinson lying on the pavement at the bottom of the stairs; she was flown to a hospital by helicopter and died a little more than three weeks later. 1 2

Right · 2Peterson, who said she and Tomlinson had been friends for 50 years, described her as an "itty-bitty, tiny" and "meek and mild" woman, a legal aide who helped people resolve financial issues, and said she could not believe Tomlinson would start a fight. 1 2 Right · 2Peterson said the women were on a trip to celebrate their birthdays together; they had two drinks each at the bar, danced to a solo performer, and decided to leave when it got crowded, with Tomlinson going to pay the tab while Peterson fetched the car. 1 2 Right · 2Tomlinson was remembered at her funeral as "a loving mom" and "a trustworthy friend"; she was not married and left behind a son. 1 2

Right · 2Hunt was released on $100,000 bond for each charge, but the bond was later revoked and she was returned to Colleton County Jail in Walterboro; it was not immediately clear why. Fox News Digital contacted the bar for comment, and Hunt's attorney could not be reached. 1 2