South Carolina woman dies of heart attack after Austin Thomas Jones breaks in

A South Carolina man has been charged after a North Myrtle Beach woman died of a heart attack during an attempted burglary in July, police said.

Austin Thomas Jones, 40, is charged with involuntary manslaughter stemming from a July 24, 2022 incident at 20th Avenue South in North Myrtle Beach.

In July, a woman called North Myrtle Beach police and said someone was trying to break into her home.

Officers determined that Jones allegedly broke a window in the home and attempted to enter.

Police took Jones into custody and noticed that his knuckles were bleeding and that he was carrying less than a gram of cocaine.

After the victim called 911, she went into cardiac arrest when police arrived. The police immediately called emergency services and CPR was performed. When the woman regained a pulse, she was taken to a local hospital.

The woman died five days later, on July 28, police said.

An autopsy report from the Medical University of South Carolina found the woman went into cardiac arrest with “a state of stress brought on by the attempted burglary.”

Police ruled the death a homicide and a warrant was issued for Jones’ arrest. He was arrested at his home on Wednesday.

Public records show Jones was released from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on $2,500 bail Friday morning.