Dyer County deputies say a months-long homicide investigation into the death of 44-year-old Katrina Olds has ended with a second-degree murder charge and a shuttered "problem house" on Peach Road.
Olds was found unresponsive at a home on Peach Road in Dyersburg on January 30, 2026, and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. After an autopsy and what investigators describe as an extended homicide probe, the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jermiah Lashun Johnson on April 3, 2026, and charged him with second-degree murder. The arrest came after a judge ordered the Peach Road residence closed as a public nuisance following repeated overdoses and drug-related calls.
Investigation, Autopsy And Arrest
According to a press release cited by WBBJ, deputies responded to 548 Peach Road on January 30 and transported Olds to the Dyersburg Emergency Room, where she was pronounced dead. The sheriff’s release states that the Dyer County Medical Examiner’s Office was notified and an autopsy was ordered, and that “autopsy findings and additional facts uncovered during the course of this case” led to Johnson’s arrest. The sheriff’s announcement was also covered by local outlets including Fox13 Memphis.
Judge Declares Home A Nuisance After Repeated Calls
Long before the murder charge, the Peach Road address had already drawn heavy attention from law enforcement. A judge ordered the property boarded up after deputies reported roughly 90 calls for service at the home since 2020, including five overdoses and one death in January, according to KFVS. Authorities say three children connected to the residence tested positive for methamphetamine in the past two years. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has received multiple referrals about the home and has removed several children from the residence, the outlet reported.
The sheriff’s office has asked residents to keep the tips coming and to report suspected drug activity to its Criminal Investigation Division.
How State Law Factors Into The Charge
Under Tennessee law, a killing that results from the unlawful distribution or dispensation of certain controlled substances, including fentanyl, can qualify as second-degree murder, a Class A felony, according to FindLaw's summary of Tenn. Code § 39-13-210. That statute has become a key tool in overdose cases.
The Dyer County Sheriff’s Office cast Johnson’s arrest as part of a broader enforcement push. Lt. Investigator Jim Joyner said the case “joins numerous other second-degree murder charges filed by the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office related to overdose deaths” and added a pointed warning: “You poison our citizens with illegal drugs that cause their death - we’re coming for you,” according to the office’s statement.
What Comes Next
Johnson was booked following his arrest and faces prosecution in the 29th Judicial District. Officials have not yet released a court date. Prosecutors will review the medical examiner’s findings along with evidence gathered by investigators as the case proceeds, according to Action News 5.
Anyone with information related to the case or suspected drug activity is urged to contact the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division.
