Investigators say the case began with one man’s overdose but includes allegations of several earlier suspicious incidents in Central Florida.
HAINES CITY, Fla. — Polk County authorities are examining whether other people may have had similar encounters with an Orlando woman accused of drugging a 69-year-old man she met through a dating app, expanding the focus of an investigation that led to an attempted murder charge.
Samantha Adams, 39, was arrested Aug. 27 in Davenport after investigators accused her of intentionally putting a benzodiazepine in the man’s whiskey at his Haines City home. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the man was hospitalized Aug. 17 and was found to have suffered a benzodiazepine overdose. He told investigators that he did not possess that type of medication.
Sheriff Grady Judd said investigators believe there could be other people who had encounters with Adams, although authorities had not publicly confirmed any additional victims. The possibility is based in part on the circumstances reported by the man and the sheriff’s office’s continuing investigation. Any additional allegations would require separate investigation and corroboration.
The man told detectives he met Adams through a dating app and initially knew her only as “Nala.” Investigators later determined her identity. He said the two had been spending time together before the Aug. 17 medical emergency, and he described several earlier occasions at her Orange County residence when he became unexpectedly impaired after consuming small amounts of alcohol.
According to the sheriff’s office, the man reported becoming unsteady and falling after drinking at Adams’ home on one occasion. He described another incident in which he passed out in his vehicle after leaving the residence. He also told investigators that on Aug. 15 he felt groggy after leaving her home and backed into another vehicle.
The man believes those episodes may have involved poisoning, investigators said, but authorities have not announced toxicology results or other evidence establishing that Adams drugged him during each earlier encounter. The sheriff’s office has described the incidents as part of the broader investigation rather than separate proven offenses.
The investigation began Aug. 20 after the man reported the Aug. 17 hospitalization. He told detectives that on the day of the medical emergency, he and Adams argued at his Haines City home about a vehicle he had purchased for her. He said Adams later went to the kitchen carrying her purse and returned with two glasses of whiskey.
The man drank from one of the glasses, investigators said. He alleged that during a later intimate encounter Adams demanded $1,000 and left after he declined to pay. He subsequently lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital, where medical staff determined he had overdosed on a benzodiazepine.
Detectives also learned that someone had tampered with the man’s home security system. The man said he had seen Adams near the part of the house where the system was located. Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether the alleged tampering erased recordings or otherwise affected evidence.
When Adams was taken into custody, authorities said she had a prescription bottle issued to another person. Investigators reported finding hydrocodone-acetaminophen, oxycodone hydrochloride, sertraline, part of an Adderall pill and part of an alprazolam pill inside. The sheriff’s office has not said that all of those medications were connected to the man’s overdose.
Adams faces felony charges of attempted second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and possession of oxycodone, hydrocodone and alprazolam. She also faces misdemeanor allegations that include resisting without violence, drug paraphernalia possession, possession of a legend drug without a prescription and offering to commit prostitution. The charges are allegations, and authorities have not announced any adjudication of guilt.
The sheriff’s office has not publicly identified another person as a confirmed victim. Investigators are continuing to examine the reported incidents involving the 69-year-old man and whether evidence supports a wider pattern involving Adams.
Author note: Last updated September 2, 2026.