FOLLY BEACH, S.C. — A former South Carolina high school teacher who was accused of killing his wife died of a heart attack last week, nearly six months after being released from jail on bond, officials said.
Officials on Wednesday released the cause of death of James Stanton Yarborough, 65, who died April 30, The Post and Courier reported.
An incident report said Yarborough was found by a family friend who was acting as his caretaker. The friend said Yarborough's front door was open but that was often the case “because he liked the breeze to go through the house,” the report said.
No signs of foul play were found, police said.
Yarborough called police last September to report his wife, Karen Simmons Yarborough, 63, was missing. He said he hadn’t seen her since the night before when she went on a walk.
While speaking with him, police spotted a red stain on Yarborough’s shirt and a bullet without a shell casing on the floor of the master bedroom, according to the police report. He said he was on blood thinners and the stain was probably his own blood, and he had no idea why the bullet would be there because he didn’t have a gun.
Karen Yarborough’s body was later found in a wooded area in unincorporated Dorchester County. James Yarborough was charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and obstruction of justice.
He was released from jail on bond in November and placed on house arrest, news outlets reported.
Yarborough had been the principal at Summerville High School from 1994 to 1998.
