KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 ― A South Carolina man died of a heart attack while he was in the process of disposing of the body of a woman he has been accused of killing.
Acting on reports of an unresponsive man in his yard in Trenton on May 7, officers from the Edgefield County Sheriff's Office had visited the site where they found Joseph Anthony McKinnon, USA Today reported quoting the authorities statement.
As officers were investigating the scene, they found the body of 65-year-old Patricia Ruth Dent “in a freshly dug pit” leading authorities to suspect McKinnon, 60, died of natural causes and that Dent's death was due to foul play.
Autopsies conducted on Monday, May 9, confirmed McKinnon's death was from a cardiac event, while Dent died by strangulation.
“Evidence gathered at the scene, along with statements from witnesses aided investigators to build a timeline, leading us to believe that Mr. McKinnon attacked Ms. Dent while inside their home,” the statement reads.
Authorities concluded after McKinnon strangled Dent, he bound and wrapped her in trash bags before putting her into a pit he had already dug.
While McKinnon was filling the grave, he had a cardiac event, causing his death, authorities said.
