Lithia drug overdose investigation leads to first-degree murder arrest

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Published August 14, 2026 9:33 PM EDT

Pictured: Katrina Broaddus. Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

The Brief

    • Katrina Broaddus, 39, faces a first-degree murder charge in Lithia after deputies tied her to a deadly drug overdose.
    • Investigators say toxicology reports revealed the victim died with 18 times the lethal dose of fentanyl and carfentanil.
    • Hillsborough County deputies arrested Broaddus at her Riverview home following a months-long investigation into the deadly sale.

LITHIA, Fla. - An accused drug dealer is behind bars on a first-degree murder charge after Hillsborough deputies said she gave a deadly dose of fentanyl and carfentanil to a woman who overdosed last year. 

Hillsborough murder charge

What we know:

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said they began investigating back in October 2025 when deputies responded to a home in the 12000 block of Horseshoe Bend Drive in Lithia. Officials said someone passing by reported seeing a woman who appeared to be asleep inside a car. 

Deputies arrived to find Katelyn Thall, 36, dead inside the car with multiple drug paraphernalia items and narcotics surrounding her. 

From there, HCSO's Opioid Overdose Investigations section took over. Detectives said they determined that Thall met with Katrina Broaddus, 39, the night before she overdosed to get fentanyl from her. 

The substance found at the scene tested positive for xylazine, carfentanil, cocaine, and fentanyl, according to HCSO. Toxicology results also determined that the levels of fentanyl and carfentanil in Thall's blood was 18 times a lethal dose. 

Detectives spent months building their case and connecting the overdose death back to Broaddus before ultimately getting a warrant for her arrest. She was arrested at her home in Riverview on Thursday for first-degree murder resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, HCSO said.

Overdose crackdown push 

What they're saying:

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister released the following statement: 

"This is the third arrest in two weeks on this exact charge, and dealers need to hear it clearly: we are watching, we are working these cases, and we will not stop. Fentanyl doesn't discriminate, and neither will we when it comes to holding accountable the people who put it on our streets and take our neighbors' lives."

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, which detailed the overdose death investigation, the arrest and provided a statement from Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. 

Hillsborough CountyCrime and Public Safety