A man accused of strangling his girlfriend died of a heart attack while burying her in his backyard. The episode took place in the city of Trenton, South Carolina (USA).
Joseph McKinnon, 60, is suspected of killing Patricia Dent, 65, at her home Saturday, the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office said. Police responded to a call from neighbors who reported seeing an unconscious man lying in the backyard.
When they arrived they found McKinnon’s body. Medical teams were called to the scene and attempted to revive him, but he was already without vital signs, the New York Post reported.
During the investigation, officers found a second body in a grave with signs they had just been dug up, Sheriff Jody Rowland said in a release. After the investigation, experts confirmed that it was from Patricia Dent who lived with McKinnon.
Investigators believe the criminal attacked Patricia in the house. An autopsy revealed that she died from strangulation. A heart attack was determined to be the cause of McKinnon’s death.
“Mr McKinnon then tied them up and wrapped them in garbage bags before placing them in the grave he dug earlier,” Sheriff Rowland said.
Dent was supposed to be working at a golf course the day he died, but he didn’t show up. She also did not take calls or respond to text messages from friends and family.
“I’m shocked. I didn’t expect anything from it,” Patricia Dent’s twin sister, Pamela Briggs, said in an interview with US broadcaster WDBJ. “Everyone who knew her liked her. She was always a very energetic person, especially since she was still working at 65.”