‘Zombie’ drug death leads to arrest of Ga. man, police say

COVINGTON, Ga. — The death of a man in late 2022 has resulted in the arrest of another man, according to Covington police.

On December 30, 2022, Covington Police responded to a possible overdose death on Hannah Street and found James Nail, Jr. Nail was later pronounced dead at Piedmont Newton Hospital.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation did a toxicology report, which showed that Nail had fentanyl and Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” in his system at the time of the overdose.

Tranq”, is a horse tranquilizer that has become a popular additive to fentanyl.

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Detectives then began investigating his death.

After six months, detectives learned where Nail obtained the drugs that led to his death.

On June 21, the GBI searched the Covington home of Matthew Burley who was arrested.

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Burley was charged with murder and trafficking fentanyl, according to police.

Channel 2 Action News has been dedicated to covering the opioid epidemic by warning families and exposing challenges that make these drugs prevalent in local neighborhoods.

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