SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – A married couple in Savannah have both avoided a potential life sentence after taking a plea deal in the 2021 fentanyl death of their 1-year-old daughter.
In October 2021, Savannah Police responded to a home for a report of a non-responsive child. The baby, identified as Ellie, was taken to the hospital by ambulance and later died. Police said the death was caused by exposure to fentanyl inside her parents’ home.
Charges and plea deal
Sara Ashley Jopling and Taylor Holbus, the child’s parents, were both originally charged with felony murder, second-degree murder and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Court records show the case involved Xanax pills laced with fentanyl. Previous court records said the couple engaged in a pattern of drug abuse inside the family home, acts that led to the child’s death.
At the end of August 2026, both parents entered an open-ended guilty plea, pleading guilty only to second-degree murder. The felony murder and delinquency charges were dropped…