Joseph McKinnon, 60, and Patricia Ruth Dent, 65, lived together in the rural Trenton area of South Carolina. Paramedics and local Sheriff deputies were called to the address after receiving a report of an unresponsive man laying in the yard. Upon arriving they found McKinnon deceased, and they found Dent nearby wrapped in trash bags in a freshly dug grave.
The autopsy done on Joseph McKinnon confirmed he died of natural causes (Cardiac Arrest), however the autopsy done on Patricia Ruth Dent confirmed something more sinister. She died from asphyxiation. The obvious culprit in the Sheriff’s Department eyes is McKinnon.
Sheriff Jody Rowland and Coroner David Burnett of Edgefield County said in a joint statement: “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. Mr. McKinnon then bound her and wrapped her in trash bags before putting her in the previously dug pit,” the statement said. “The pit was then partially filled in by Mr. McKinnon. While covering the pit, Mr. McKinnon had the cardiac event, causing his death.”.
Dent’s twin sister, Pamela Briggs, said this. “Everybody who ever met her liked her. She was just full of energy. She was 65 and working,”
I don’t imagine he imagined this would be his ….”getaway” from jail, however it did work so all in all 6/10. Jokes aside, condolences to Dent’s family and hopefully Ms. Dent herself has found some peace.
