Suspected Fentanyl Dealer Arraigned In Fatal Overdose Case

The former island resident who was allegedly involved in the 2021 fatal fentanyl overdose of a 2019 graduate of Nantucket High School after sharing the drug with her was arraigned in Nantucket Superior Court Tuesday afternoon.

Timothy Tanana-Nye, 30, of Cape Cod, was arraigned on charges of manslaughter and possession with the intent to distribute a Class A drug (fentanyl). He pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on his own personal recognizance on the conditions he not use illegal narcotics and undergo private screens, which the probation department will have access to.

According to the police report, police and EMTs were called to an island residence for a drug overdose where they discovered Tanana-Nye performing CPR on the unresponsive woman. First responders administered Narcan to the victim at the scene – an apartment in the new Richmond Great Point development off Old South Road – but she was not breathing and had no pulse by the time they arrived. The woman was pronounced dead at Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

Police stated in their report that the responding officers observed a white powdery substance on a bureau in the bedroom of the apartment. A search warrant was obtained later that night, and officers discovered additional evidence, including a small baggie believed to be fentanyl hidden in a bag of dog food.

A pretrial hearing on this matter was scheduled for June 21 at 9 a.m. at the Barnstable Municipal Courts.