Troy residents charged in connection with drug house, link to murder investigation

TROY — A 55-year-old man, Holly Fields Jr., was arrested and ordered jailed after pleading not guilty on Monday to charges of operating a drug house linked to a broader investigation that includes the murder of a local woman.

Fields, along with his daughter Bryanna Fields Rooney, 29, and her husband Thomas P. Rooney, 34, allegedly used their residence for the manufacturing, storage, distribution, and use of cocaine and fentanyl from December 2023 through February 7.

The charges also involve conspiracies to distribute and possess these drugs since early December 2023. The investigation connected these activities to the February 2024 death of 29-year-old Kayla Wright of Derby, found shot multiple times and disposed of in the Missisquoi River in Troy.

Fields was living at the implicated residence when Wright disappeared. Although he faces no charges directly related to her death, this is not his first connection to such incidents. In October 2023, Wilmer Rodriguez, 27, was found dead at another of Fields’ residences in Newport Town, which was also suspected of being used for drug activities.

The arrests were the result of collaborative efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Vermont State Police and Homeland Security Investigations. Fields had been fleeing law enforcement since early February 2024, when a raid at the Troy residence led to multiple arrests.

Authorities continue to search for one more suspect in the Troy-based drug operation. In addition to criminal proceedings, the government seeks forfeiture of all proceeds from the illicit activities, totaling $11,458 seized during the investigation.