Police follow ‘trail of blood’ to dead man in locked closet. SC woman charged with murder
A woman who allegedly shot and killed her ex-husband “made an excited utterance” when police found her covered in blood.
Joyanna Vansant, 53, has been accused of shooting Frederick Boyd Vansant, 60, in the head, Horry County Police reports show. She was arrested on May 17 for murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
On May 16 at 10:20 p.m., police responded to Frederick Vansant’s Dinger Court home because of a suspicious vehicle.
Police found a white Honda truck pulled up to the house’s front door. There appeared to be no lights on in the Dinger Court home, the report said.
Officers knocked on the door and Joyanna Vansant answered, “covered in blood, and made an excited utterance that the victim was in the back of the house,” the arrest warrant said. Joyanna Vansant had to change her outfit due to clothes being covered in blood and there was a large trail of blood seen throughout the home.
Police detained Joyanna Vansant and followed the trail of blood to the back of the home, the report said. They found Frederick Vansant locked inside a back porch closet.
Joyanna Vansant was then arrested. She is being held without bail at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
Court records show the Vansants divorced in 2021. Joyanna Vansant lives near the Burgess area.
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 11:06 AM.
