An arrest was made Friday in the death of a Benson woman found dead last year on the floor of a hotel room.
On May 23, 2019, the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from an employee at the Relax Inn on Bud Hawkins Road in Dunn reporting an unresponsive female. Deputies arrived and found 22 year-old Dakota Strickland of Benson deceased.
Sheriff Wayne Coats said today the investigation revealed that shortly before Strickland’s death, she was provided with illegal narcotics by Brandon Shaw, 30, of Mars Drive, Dunn.
After multiple consultations with the District Attorney’s Office, investigators with the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office obtained involuntary manslaughter warrants for Mr. Shaw’s arrest.
Shaw was taken into custody today and confined in the Harnett County Detention Center under a $100,000.00 secured bond.
Ms. Strickland was a 2014 graduate of South Johnston High School. She is remembered for her sense of humor and a smile that would brighten any room.
