'Grossly impaired before 9AM:' Woman sentenced in fatal DUI crash

A Little River woman pled guilty to killing a motorcyclist in a DUI crash and to involvement in a drug trafficking scheme, according to a release from the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office. On Tuesday, 26-year-old Kayla Tisdale was sentenced to 14 years in prison as part of a negotiated agreement for felony DUI resulting in death. Tisdale is also awaiting sentencing on a federal charge of misprision of a felony for keeping $750,000 in cash and gold bullion as part of an illegal scheme linked to drug trafficking, officials said. Tisdale's DUI charge stems from a crash that killed 62-year-old Steven Marshall in April 2025. Marshall moved down to the Myrtle Beach area after retiring from more than 20 years in law enforcement, officials said. RELATED: Victim identified after crash involving moped in Horry Co. Investigators said Tisdale was driving on Sea Mountain Highway in North Myrtle Beach when she failed to yield to a motorcyclist. Tisdale reportedly left the scene and picked up her daughter from elementary school before state troopers arrested her as she pulled up to a house. Officials said her blood alcohol concentration was 0.19, almost three times higher than the legal limit of 0.08. Tisdale admitted that she had been drinking since 8:30 a.m. that morning due to her ongoing federal investigation, officials said. She also said that she did not remember purchasing her last drink from Circle K, which was caught on surveillance video. Additionally, Tisdale pled guilty in April to assisting her former partner in laundering at least $750,000 in assets that were illegally obtained using the proceeds from the drug trafficking business. Officials said her former partner was a large-scale drug trafficker who distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine, among other drugs. Tisdale allegedly concealed assets from authorities. Tisdale faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, potential restitution orders, and a year of court supervision to follow her term of imprisonment for the drug charge. “This case serves as a stark reminder of the perils that stem from drinking and driving. Our community lost a career public servant, who spent the better part of 20 years attempting to save lives, simply because Ms. Tisdale chose to become grossly impaired before 9:00 a.m. that day,” said Brandon Lanier, the assistant solicitor. “Today, we have no winners. Mr. Marshall’s family will never be made whole, and Ms. Tisdale’s young daughter will grow up without her mother at a pivotal point in her life. We are grateful to the witnesses who assisted the Highway Patrol in locating Ms. Tisdale, and we hope that this lengthy prison sentence will deter those who think about drinking and driving from ever doing so in the future.”