Pair Charged In Fatal Overdose Of Woman Found Dead In November 2024
Crown Point-Two people, Nickolas Michael Anthony Barbato, 32,of Hobart, and Aniyah Raynell Shelton,of Merrillville, have been charged in Lake County, after investigators linked them to a fatal overdose.
On November 26, 2024, around 6:56 a.m., Schererville Police were called to 8100 block of Victoria Place in Crown Point for a reported overdose. Officers found Alexis Eggleston-Granato unresponsive on a bed while medics performed CPR. She was taken to Methodist Southlake Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
An autopsy from the Lake County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death was polysubstance toxicity involving fentanyl, fluorofentanyl, and cocaine.
According to court filings, home surveillance video showed a black Chevrolet hatchback arriving outside the residence at 10:22 p.m. on November 25 and leaving at 10:37 p.m., the same 16-minute period when Eggleston-Granato briefly exited her home and returned. The vehicle was later identified as belonging to Barbato and associated with Shelton.
Messages obtained from the victim’s phone show she was communicating that evening with a Facebook profile under the name “Nick Bato,” later confirmed to belong to Barbato. Messages confirmed sending $160 via CashApp to Barbato. Barbato later replied, Since I hooked you up, can you smoke with us?”
At 10:22 p.m., Shelton messaged Eggleston-Granato directly saying, “We here,” which investigators said confirmed their arrival. Video evidence shows Alexis returning inside minutes later.
Detectives said the victim recorded several videos on her phone between 10:45 p.m. and the early morning hours showing her smoking a brown substance with the same pipe and lighter recovered after her death — behavior investigators recognized as “speedballing,” or mixing cocaine and fentanyl/heroin.
At 1:32 a.m., she messaged Shelton again saying, “I want some more, I’ll smoke with y’all again.” The two discussed another deal before Shelton texted, “We finna get that sht cause he got court at 8:30.”* After Alexis had already died, Barbato messaged her again at 9:34 a.m., writing, “I’m out of court, you want me to do that for you?”
Investigators later uncovered jail calls between Barbato and Shelton recorded in May 2025, where the two discussed the overdose case. Shelton said it was about “back in November … the only customer that OD’d,” and Barbato told her, “it’s not her job to help them if they can’t figure it out.”
When questioned, Barbato denied knowing the victim, later admitted he gave her “something,” but claimed it wasn’t enough to kill her. He was found carrying a CashApp card linked to Barbato at the time of his arrest.
Detectives concluded the pair worked together to deliver cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to Eggleston-Granato, leading to her death.
Charges filed on October 22,2025:
• Dealing in a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death — Level 1 Felony
• Dealing in Cocaine — Level 5 Felony
• Dealing in a Narcotic Drug — Level 5 Felony (two counts)
