Police say man to be returned from Louisiana to face charges
On November 6, 2024, Parsons, Kansas Police found 33-year-old Stormy Watson dead in the 500 block of N. 14th Street in Parsons.
The autopsy report revealed Watson had died of acute combined drug intoxication involving fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The report concluded that the manner of death was consistent with an accidental overdose.
The Parsons Police Department Investigations Division immediately opened a death investigation. Detective Timothy Gilliland was assigned to the case and responded to the scene to begin a detailed inquiry.
A search warrant for the residence was obtained and executed, leading to the seizure of multiple electronic devices, suspected narcotics, and drug paraphernalia.
Later, a separate search warrant was obtained for a forensic examination of the electronic devices.
During the exhaustive review of the data, Detective Gilliland uncovered a string of digital communication between Mrs. Watson and Benjamin Queen, an Oswego resident who became a person of interest through the investigation.
Over the following months, Detective Gilliland conducted a series of interviews with Watson’s friends and family, corroborating the digital evidence.
These efforts revealed that Benjamin Queen was suspected to be Stormy Watson’s fentanyl supplier. The investigation, bolstered by both digital forensics and witness statements, provided compelling evidence linking Queen to the fatal drug transaction.
An arrest warrant was issued for Queen on the charges of Distribution of Controlled Substance, Causing Death
But Queen was nowhere to be found.
Now, Parsons police have been told that Queen has been arrested all the way down in St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana.
On May 21, 2025, Detective Gilliland was notified that after several months Benjamin Queen had been arrested on his warrant from this case. He was arrested in St. Tammany Parrish in Louisiana.
Police say Queen will be brought back to southeast Kansas to face criminal charges.
If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060 or call the Tip Line at 421-7057 or email at tips@parsonspdks.gov.