Joyanna Vansant, Horry County ex wife shoots former husband dead, stuffs him in closet. Police discover body of Frederick Vansant, Jr. after doing welfare check on man’s home only to discover victim’s ex wife covered in blood answering door.
A South Carolina woman has been accused of shooting dead her 60 year old former husband and then stuffing his body in a closet only to answer the door moments later covered in blood as police arrived for a ‘welfare check,’ at the man’s Burgess home.
Joyanna Vansant, 53, who answered the door Friday night, appeared flustered as she ‘excitedly’ told officers with the Horry County Police Department that the man they had come to check up on was in the ‘back of the home.’
Moments later, cops found Frederick Vansant, Jr., dead behind a locked closet door. The cause of death was determined to be from a mortal shooting wound to the head, police said in a Facebook release.
Horry County former couple divorced in 2021
The victim’s former wife who no longer lived at the address was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Joyanna Vansant remains in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
Leading up to the ex wife’s arrest, police stated that information was shared that called for a protective sweep of the property, which led to the discovery of the deceased person in a closet and evidence of a shooting.
Records from the South Carolina Department of Social Services show the Vansants divorcing in 2021 and Joyanna Vansant retaining a residence in nearby Myrtle Beach.
News of the husband’s shooting death led to neighbors expressing anguish, WPDE reported.
‘We know that he loved to golf, and we know he had a group of friends he would go golfing with,’ neighbor, Lauren Wehrung told the outlet. ‘We actually had a nickname for him, we would nickname him ‘Friendrick’ like friend, because he was legitimately so friendly and he was the kind of guy that if you needed something, he would definitely come through.’
Not immediately clear is how the former wife gained access to her former husband’s home and what led up to the man’s shooting death.
Of note, Horry County records showed the woman being arrested on April 26, 2025 on an unrelated offence. Arrest charges were not divulged.
Horry County police said the murder investigation remains active and ongoing. Additional information will be provided when possible.
A judge on Sunday denied Joyanna Vansant bond, the Sun News reported. If convicted, the ex wife faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
