A 22-year-old woman has been charged in connection to the fatal overdose of a 27-year-old Columbus man. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reports that 27-year-old Patrick Stephens was found deceased at a residence in Columbus on July 2, 2024.

An autopsy later determined that Stephens had died of Fentanyl Intoxication. Since then, CCSO and the Columbus Police Department have been investigating the events leading up to Stephens’s death.

Detectives have obtained evidence leading to the filing of criminal charges against 22-year-old Mikaela Marie Sellars. She is facing charges of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death and Distribution of Controlled Substances Using a Communication Device.

It is alleged that Sellars met Stephens at a Cherokee County convenience store on July 1 and sold him Fentanyl which resulted in his death the following morning. CCSO says Sellars has been in custody since August 29, 2024 on unrelated allegations of Abuse of a Child, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Aggravated Child Endangerment.