PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced Tuesday that a prison medical aide and an inmate have been indicted on nine combined felony charges related to the drug overdose death of 33-year-old Travis Long Fox.
Long Fox died Nov. 7, 2025, at the State Penitentiary. Natalie Bernice Krause, 25, of Tea, and Cole Roberts Waters, 26, were indicted in Minnehaha County Circuit Court. Krause worked as a medical aide at the facility, while Waters is currently serving a 65-year sentence for a first degree manslaughter conviction out of Pennington County, which includes the city of Rapid City.
The introduction of illegal drugs into our correctional facilities endangers inmates and staff and has led to an inmate’s death, Jackley said. We will continue to hold those undermining the safety and security of our prisons accountable.
Both defendants face charges including distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, aiding and abetting the distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance resulting in death, and distribution of a controlled substance. All charges involve synthetic cannabinoids. These charges carry a mandatory minimum of one year and a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Krause faces an additional count of possession of an unauthorized article with intent to deliver to an inmate, which carries a 10-year maximum sentence. Waters could face a doubling of his current sentence if convicted on the new charges.
The Division of Criminal Investigation has investigated eight suspected drug overdose deaths of prison inmates this year in South Dakota. Charges have now been filed in three of those cases.
In January 2026, inmate Manarion Fuse and Sioux Falls resident Melibu Ross are scheduled for trial in separate cases. Fuse is charged with distribution of synthetic cannabinoids resulting in the Feb. 6, 2025, death of inmate Anthony Richards. Ross is charged with distribution of methamphetamine resulting in the May 15, 2025, death of inmate Jason Garreau.
Five other inmate deaths remain under investigation by state authorities. Krause and Waters are presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution, and future court dates have not been set.
