A grand jury in Chatham County recently issued a second indictment charging a man in connection with a fentanyl-related death, a development that highlights the continuing public-safety and public-health threat posed by illicitly distributed fentanyl.
Indictment follows overdose death linked to alleged drug sale
According to court records released this week, Steven Chisholm was arrested and faces multiple charges after investigators say he sold fentanyl to a woman who later overdosed. The charges include felony murder, aggravated involuntary manslaughter, sale of fentanyl, conspiracy to violate the Georgia controlled substances act and illicit use of a communication facility.
Prosecutors allege Chisholm sold fentanyl to Tiara Tyler on Jan. 2 and that the substance caused the death of Joey Elrod on Jan. 3. The records say Chisholm and Tyler conspired to sell the drugs on Dec. 28, 2025, and used a cellphone to facilitate the sale. His case was bound over to Superior Court in April, with no further hearings listed as of the reporting.
Second recent criminal case ties sellers to fatal overdoses
This is the second recent overdose-related indictment in Chatham County. Prosecutors previously charged Michael Eden, 48, with selling pills labelled as Xanax that contained fentanyl and which investigators say were connected to a fatal overdose. Eden faces counts that include felony murder, aggravated involuntary manslaughter, sale of fentanyl, sale of alprazolam and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Local narcotics officials with the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team report a troubling rise in overdose fatalities: 23 drug overdose deaths since late June, according to the team. Toxicology results reported by the Savannah Morning News indicate fentanyl has been the substance most commonly detected in those deaths.
"Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent,"
That assessment, by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, underscores why even tiny quantities can be lethal. The DEA notes that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal for an average adult. Those characteristics make fentanyl a particular danger when mixed into counterfeit pills or other street drugs without consumers’ knowledge.
Past convictions and legal implications
Court records show Chisholm has a prior criminal history, including convictions in the 1990s and 2011 for various controlled-substance and property offences. Prosecutors have used prior criminal records in some drug-related prosecutions to support charges that carry higher penalties, especially where fatalities have occurred.
Public-safety officials in the area have increasingly relied on grand juries and felony-level charges as tools to address the spread of fentanyl and to hold suppliers and distributors accountable when illicit drugs are tied to deadly overdoses. Legal outcomes and potential sentences will follow the Superior Court process for the indicted individuals.
- What officials reported: 23 overdose deaths in recent months, fentanyl most commonly detected.
- Charges in the new indictment: felony murder, aggravated involuntary manslaughter, sale of fentanyl, conspiracy, illegal use of a communication facility.
- Public-health risk: fentanyl’s high potency makes it deadly even in tiny amounts; two milligrams can be fatal.
While the indictments and the rising death toll are specific to Chatham County, Georgia, the patterns mirror trends seen across many North American communities where fentanyl has increasingly appeared in the illicit drug supply. For Chatham-area residents, the case is a reminder for families, health-care providers and frontline workers to remain vigilant and for policymakers to press for prevention, education and treatment resources.
Reporting on the Georgia cases was originally published by the Savannah Morning News. Local readers concerned about substance use and overdose risks should consult public-health advisories and local emergency services for information about naloxone availability and harm-reduction resources.
