Read the original article on the Raleigh News & Observer website.
A woman has been charged in connection with the fentanyl overdose death of a man she allegedly sold drugs to earlier this year, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office said.
On March 29, deputies responded to a home on Panther Lake Road in the southern part of Wake County for a death investigation and found 39-year-old Matthew Godbold unresponsive, according to a news release. The initial investigation pointed to a possible overdose.
Evidence submitted to the Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services tested positive for fentanyl, the release stated.
Deputies determined Lauren Tasha Olsen, 37, had sold drugs to Godbold that led to his death. She was charged Monday with aggravated death by distribution and with felony sell/deliver a schedule II controlled substance, according to the release.
In 2017, Olsen was convicted of attempted drug trafficking of a schedule I controlled substance, court records show. She was sentenced to between 2 years and 1 month and 3 years and 6 months in jail, with her parole ending in May 2020.
Fatal drug overdoses down in North Carolina
Godbold’s death comes as the number of fentanyl and other overdose deaths in North Carolina has declined.
There were 259 suspected overdose deaths in June 2025 compared to 275 in June 2024, according to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. There was an 8% decrease in such deaths year to date (1,541) compared to January to August 2024 (1,666).
There were 175 fentanyl-positive deaths in April 2025 compared to 204 in April 2024. There was a 28% decrease in such deaths year to date (588) compared to the same time period in 2024 (822), the medical examiner’s office reported.