KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) – A Kinston man is facing charges following a fatal drug overdose investigation.
Around 8:30 a.m. on April 8th, Kinston police say they were called to the 2400 block of Carey Road for a reported fentanyl overdose.
When they arrived, officers found 28-year-old Andrea Grant unresponsive inside the home.
Emergency crews performed life-saving measures on Grant, and she was airlifted to ECU Health, where she was put on life support.
Kinston officers began an investigation into the overdose and identified 31-year-old Michael Oates as the individual responsible for providing Grant with the drugs.
On April 9th, officers pulled Oates over. He was arrested and found with marijuana laced with fentanyl, marijuana and a gun.
Police say Grant was taken off life support on Saturday and died as a result of her injuries.
Detectives got warrants to arrest Oates for death by distribution following her death.
He was additionally charged with trafficking fentanyl, possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Oates was served the warrants and remains in the Lenoir County Jail without bond.
KINSTON, N.C. (WNCT) — A Kinston man is in custody and charged with death by distribution after a fatal overdose.
Michael Oats
On April 8, around 8:30 a.m. officers with the Kinston Police Department responded to a reported fentanyl overdose at a residence of Carey Road.
There they found 28-year-old Andrea Grant unresponsive and after EMS’ efforts, Grant was airlifted to ECU Health and placed on life support.
An investigation by KPD detectives and members of KPD’s B-Squad identified 31-year-old Michael Oats as the fentanyl distributor.
The next day, KPD officers carried out a traffic stop involving Oats. During that stop on April 9, Oats was taken into custody and found to be in possession of marijuana laced with fentanyl, marijuana, and a firearm.
Andrea Grant was removed from life support on April 11 and died from her condition. After this, detectives obtained warrants on Oats for Death by Distribution.
Oats remains in custody at the Lenoir County Jail.
In addition to Death by Distribution, Oats has been charged with the following:
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A woman is charged with murder after a person was found dead at a Rutherford County home last year.
MUG SHOT – Kathryn Diane Morrison was arrested May 19, 2026, on second-degree murder and death by distribution charges in Rutherford County, North Carolina. (Photo: Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office)
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said Kathryn Diane Morrison was arrested May 19, 2026, on second-degree murder and death by distribution charges.
On Nov. 20, 2025, deputies were called to a home on Windy Hill Drive regarding a cardiac arrest. The sheriff’s office said Pauline Shumpert Scott was found dead at the scene.
Following an investigation, the sheriff’s office said a grand jury indicted Morrison on the charges May 11, 2026.
Morrison appeared in court May 20 and received a $500,000 secured bond.
A woman in Rutherford, North Carolina, has been charged with death by distribution following an investigation after a victim was found dead in her home.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said in November 2025, authorities responded to Windy Hill Drive to a report of a cardiac arrest.
Kathryn Diane Morrison
Upon arrival, the victim, Pauline Shumpert Scott, was pronounced dead at the scene, and deputies say an investigation into the incident was requested.
On May 11, 2026, a grand jury indicted Kathryn Diane Morrison on charges of 2nd-degree murder and death by distribution.
Deputies found and arrested Morrison on May 19. She appeared before a judge on May 20 and was given a $500,000 secured bond.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said that a woman has been charged with murder for providing drugs that led to a person’s overdose in November 2025.
Kathryn Diane Morrison
Deputies said that the investigation began after responding to a residence on Windy Hill Drive in reference to a cardiac arrest. The victim, Pauline Shumpert Scott, was pronounced dead by EMS on scene. Investigations and forensics crews responded to conduct interviews and process the scene.
According to deputies, the case was presented to a Grand Jury in Rutherford County on May 11, and a true bill of indictment was returned on Kathryn Diane Morrison for second-degree murder and death by distribution.
Officials reported that Morrison was located and arrested on May 19. Morrison appeared before a District Court Judge on May 20 and received a $500,000 secured bond.
HAMPSTEAD, N.C. (WECT) – A Hampstead man was arrested in March following the death of an 18-year-old woman from a suspected fentanyl overdose, according to the Pender County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO).
Daniel Blaine Joye was arrested for death by distribution on March 12 after he allegedly delivered fentanyl that resulted in a fatal overdose.
Daniel Blaine Joye(Pender County Sheriff’s Office)
According to PCSO and available search warrants, deputies and EMS personnel responded to a residence on Mullein Drive in Hampstead on Feb. 27 after receiving a 911 call about an unconscious woman. The victim was identified as Shelby Slye of Hampstead.
A witness told dispatch she saw a man dragging a woman toward a car. The witness, a nursing student, began CPR on Slye.
Warrants state Joye told deputies he found Slye unresponsive but breathing and tried to get her into a car to take her to the hospital. He said he noticed blue discoloration around her lips and shallow breathing. Slye was transported to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, where she was pronounced dead on Feb. 28.
Warrants also state Joye allegedly told deputies at the scene that Slye had a history of narcotics abuse and had consumed a fifth of liquor during the day. However, hospital employees later told detectives Slye’s toxicology report showed no signs of alcohol use, according to records.
Detectives served a search warrant at the Mullein Drive residence on March 1. During the search, Joye was found in possession of fentanyl and was arrested. The fentanyl was packaged in wax paper bindles stamped “We The Best.”
A second search warrant led to the seizure of additional fentanyl packaged in the same bindles, empty bindles with the same stamp, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cell phones belonging to Joye and Slye, according to records.
The warrant states a woman at the residence told detectives Joye routinely purchases fentanyl and other narcotics and provided fentanyl to Slye on a regular basis. Records state the woman said she believed Joye was Slye’s source of illegal narcotics.
Detectives attended Slye’s autopsy on March 3 at Onslow Memorial Hospital. The search warrant states presumptive fentanyl urine test showed a positive indication of fentanyl in Slye’s urine.
On March 12, detectives secured additional charges against Joye related to the overdose death. Joye faces the following charges:
Felony death by distribution
Possess with intent to manufacture, sell, deliver Schedule II (three counts)
