A long-anticipated trip for two close friends celebrating their birthdays together ended in tragedy when a bartender allegedly pushed one of them down a flight of stairs, resulting in fatal injuries outside a beachside bar in South Carolina.
Mary Lopez Hunt, 68, now faces charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, as per court records from Colleton County.
Ruth Peterson recounted her painful experience to news sources on October 1, 2026, just two days before the first anniversary of her friend’s death.
Peterson had stepped out to retrieve their car while her friend, 62-year-old Joyce Tomlinson from Minnesota, went to settle the bill at Coot’s Bar & Grill on Edisto Island around 11 p.m. on October 3, 2025.
As Peterson heard her friend’s voice, she looked up the stairs. There, she spotted Tomlinson—a woman she described as mild-mannered—briefly exchanging words with another woman. The specifics of their conversation were not audible to Peterson.
“Suddenly, Joyce turned to come back down, and this woman just charged at her, pushing her with both hands. It was shocking,” Peterson recalled, struggling with her emotions. “She didn’t even fall down the steps. It was like she went flying.”
Tomlinson landed headfirst on the concrete below. Peterson rushed to her friend, but there was no pulse, and she noticed blood coming from Tomlinson’s mouth and ears. “I knew it was bad,” she stated softly.
Hunt later told authorities that Tomlinson had been unruly and yelled at bartenders prior to being asked to leave. Hunt asserted that Tomlinson fell down the stairs.
When police arrived at the bar, they discovered Tomlinson lying on the pavement at the base of the steps, according to an extensively redacted report.
She was airlifted to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries a little over three weeks later.
‘Itty-bitty, tiny woman’
Peterson described Tomlinson as an “itty-bitty, tiny” woman with a gentle personality. It was hard for her to think that someone with Tomlinson’s character could provoke a fight.
Peterson and Tomlinson had been friends for fifty years, sharing many memories. They had spent their childhood roller skating together in Minnesota, and even as they grew older and started families, their kids played together. Although life eventually took them in different directions, their friendship endured.
For years, they talked about celebrating their 60th birthdays together. But, as ever, life had different plans—until Tomlinson reached out in 2025, planning to visit in October for that very celebration.
Upon arriving at their rental in Edisto Beach, they were recommended to try Coot’s Bar & Grill.
At the bar, they each had a couple of drinks and even danced to the music of a solo performer. However, when the bar became crowded, they decided to leave to catch up at their condo.
As Tomlinson went to settle the bill, Peterson walked outside to retrieve the car. “I headed down the same steps we came up,” Peterson recalled. “When I turned back to see her, I saw her standing there at the top.”
Moments later, her friend was unconscious, and they couldn’t speak again.
‘Loving mom,’ ‘trustworthy friend’
Tomlinson’s loved ones are still trying to comprehend how an argument escalated so swiftly, as Peterson shared.
At the funeral, Tomlinson was remembered as “a loving mom” and “a trustworthy friend,” with Peterson reading a eulogy. Although not married, she left behind a son.
“It’s surreal,” Peterson reflected. “I still can’t believe she’s gone. That someone could do something like this to another person—it’s heartbreaking.”
Hunt was initially granted a $100,000 bond for her charges, but that bond was later revoked, leading to her re-arrest at the Colleton County Jail in Walterboro. The reasons behind the bond revocation remain unclear.
Efforts to reach Coot’s Bar & Grill for a statement were made, though Hunt’s attorney was unavailable for comment.
