AMARILLO, TX – A Randall County Grand Jury has indicted 38-year-old Joanna Bartlett for murder following the fentanyl overdose death of 22-year-old Sheridan Taylor, who was pregnant at the time of her death.
On December 25, 2024, Amarillo police responded to the 5700 block of Midsummer Court where they found Taylor unresponsive. She was later pronounced deceased. An autopsy determined the cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity.
A nearly ten-month-long investigation by the Amarillo Police Department’s Narcotics Unit, Homicide Unit, Proactive Criminal Enforcement Unit, Digital Forensics Unit, and the Amarillo Regional Crime Center, in coordination with the Randall County District Attorney’s Office, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations, led to the indictment.
According to police, Bartlett is accused of supplying the fentanyl to Taylor on Christmas Day, leading to her death. She was arrested and booked into the Randall County detention center.
Under Texas Penal Code §19.02, a person can be charged with murder if they knowingly distribute fentanyl that results in death. Amarillo police stated they remain committed to pursuing those who distribute lethal narcotics in the community.
