A Knox County grand jury has indicted 26-year-old Shiane Haynes in the December 2024 fentanyl overdose death of a 40-year-old woman at a hotel on Cedar Bluff Road. Authorities say Haynes supplied the fentanyl that killed the woman, and deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office arrested her on a second-degree murder charge. Haynes is currently awaiting trial.
Investigation and task force
The indictment stems from an investigation by the Knoxville Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit and its Drug-Related Death Task Force, which focuses on overdose cases that tie suspected suppliers to fatal doses, according to the Knoxville Police Department. The task force works alongside the Knox County District Attorney’s Office, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and federal partners to track deadly drugs back to their sources.
Details from authorities
As reported by WVLT, Knoxville police said the 40-year-old woman died from a fentanyl overdose at the Cedar Bluff Road hotel in December 2024, and investigators concluded that Haynes provided the fentanyl. WVLT also reported that the Knox County grand jury handed up the indictment last Wednesday and that deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office arrested Haynes on a second-degree murder charge. She remains in custody awaiting further court proceedings.
What the charge means
Under Tennessee law, a death that results from the unlawful distribution or delivery of fentanyl can be prosecuted as second-degree murder. That statute defines second-degree murder to include killings caused by fentanyl and classifies the offense as a Class A felony, according to Tennessee Code § 39-13-210. Convictions under this provision carry some of the state’s harshest penalties and would be handled in Knox County criminal court.
Next steps
Haynes’ case remains pending, and upcoming court filings are expected to set her arraignment and additional hearings as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare their cases. The allegations against her are accusations, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
