A Riverview woman faces a first-degree murder charge after Hillsborough County deputies determined she distributed a lethal combination of fentanyl and carfentanil that killed a 36-year-old woman in October 2025, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Arrest and Charges in Lithia Overdose Case
Katrina Broaddus, 39, was arrested on August 13, 2026, at her home in Riverview by members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Opioid Overdose Investigations Section. According to arrest records cited by the Tampa Free Press, Broaddus is charged with murder in the first degree resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
The investigation began on October 14, 2025, when deputies responded to a death investigation on the 12000 block of Horseshoe Bend Drive in Lithia. A passerby had reported seeing a woman apparently asleep inside a vehicle. Deputies arrived to find Katelyn Thall, 36, deceased inside the car, surrounded by drug paraphernalia and suspected narcotics.
Forensic and Toxicology Findings
The HCSO Opioid Overdose Investigations Section took over the case after initial observations pointed to a fatal overdose. Investigators established that Thall met with Broaddus on the evening of October 13, 2025, to obtain fentanyl, according to details released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
- Fentanyl
- Carfentanil
- Cocaine
- Xylazine
Subsequent toxicology reports revealed that Thall’s blood contained 18 times a lethal dose of fentanyl and carfentanil combined. Detectives spent months building the case, verifying the forensic data, and tracing the narcotics back to Broaddus before securing the arrest warrant.
Sheriff’s Office Enforcement Strategy
Sheriff Chad Chronister noted that this enforcement action marks the third arrest in two weeks on the specific charge of first-degree murder resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
“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,” Sheriff Chronister stated, as reported by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. “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 defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The investigation remains active, and public affairs officials have stated that updates will be released as they become available.