FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2025
Murder Indictment Issued in 2024 Fentanyl Overdose Death
Amarillo, Texas – On December 25, 2024, Amarillo Police Officers responded to a call in the 5700 block of Midsummer Court regarding an unresponsive female. The victim was identified as Sheridan Taylor, a 22-year-old female. Taylor was ultimately declared deceased, and at the time of her death, Taylor was pregnant.
Following an autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be acute fentanyl toxicity.
A comprehensive investigation was conducted over the course of nearly ten months by the Amarillo Police Department’s Narcotics Unit, Homicide Unit, Proactive Criminal Enforcement Unit, Digital Forensics Unit, and the Amarillo Regional Crime Center, in cooperation with the Randall County District Attorney’s Office, and Task Force Officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The results of the investigation were presented to the Randall County Grand Jury on October 22, 2025. The Grand Jury returned an indictment against Joanna Bartlett, a 38-year-old female, charging her with Murder for selling and supplying fentanyl to Sheridan Taylor on Christmas Day 2024, which resulted in Taylor’s death. Bartlett was arrested and booked into the Randall County detention center.
Under Texas Penal Code §19.02 (Murder), it is an offense to knowingly manufacture or deliver fentanyl if another individual dies as a result of injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing that fentanyl into their body, whether used alone or in combination with another substance.
The Amarillo Police Department remains committed to holding individuals accountable who contribute to fatal overdoses through the illegal distribution of fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics.
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