Two weeks after finding Katelyn Baker’s lifeless body in a guest room at the M Star Motel, Cleveland police have made an arrest.
Officers took 36-year-old Olaffia Hester of Gillsville into custody on Wednesday and charged him with felony murder. According to the regional drug task force, Baker, 23, died from an overdose of drugs, possibly opioids. Trent Hillsman of the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office says Hester supplied the drugs that killed her.
Cleaning staff discovered Baker’s body in a room on August 19. The Cleveland Police Department and White County Coroner’s Office responded to the motel and asked for ARDEO’s assistance after determining it was a possible overdose. Baker’s body was transported to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office in Decatur for an autopsy. White County Coroner Ricky Barrett says he’s still waiting on toxicology reports before issuing a final ruling on the manner and cause of her death.
On August 31, Hester was taken into custody in Gainesville with assistance from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. The murder charge against him is the latest in a string of murder charges ARDEO and partnering agencies have filed against suspected drug dealers and suppliers.
“These cases can be very painstaking and this one happened to fall together a little bit quicker than typical,” Hillsman tells Now Habersham. He says it’s an ongoing investigation and more charges are anticipated.
Hester is being held in the White County Detention Center. No bond has been set.
