Buncombe County Jail Sees Third Detainee Death in 2026
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Buncombe County Jail Sees Third Detainee Death in 2026
- Amy Beth Owenby, 42, died on August 31, 2026, marking the third detainee death associated with the Buncombe County Detention Facility this year.
- Owenby was transferred to Mission Hospital on August 24, 2026, after showing signs of medical distress, the same day another detainee, Douglas Michael Stroupe, was found unresponsive and later died.
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A third detainee, Amy Beth Owenby, 42, has died in 2026 after being booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility. Owenby, a Hendersonville resident, died on August 31, 2026, at Mission Hospital. She had been transported there on August 24, 2026, after experiencing medical distress at the jail.
Owenby was booked into the facility on August 24, 2026, on outstanding warrants. Later that evening, she was transferred to Mission Hospital. Although she was released on bond, she remained hospitalized until her death on August 31, 2026.
Her death follows that of Douglas Michael Stroupe, 33, who was found unresponsive in his cell on August 24, 2026, and pronounced dead the following day, August 25, 2026. Earlier in the year, another detainee, Grey Hester, also died after a medical emergency, being pronounced dead on January 24, 2026.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has informed the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) and the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office about Owenby’s death. The NCSBI will conduct an independent review of the circumstances surrounding her death. The Sheriff’s Office has also extended its condolences to Owenby’s family.