Buncombe County rises to 5th in NC for fentanyl death rate, data shows
By Kimberly King
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A day after Asheville police confirmed a 23-year-old woman who had been reported missing was found dead from an apparent drug overdose inside a vacant public housing unit, News 13 has confirmed additional overdose deaths at the same housing complex, with three total, including Rachael Tuck’s suspected overdose. APD confirmed the number since the start of 2026.
So far this year, 28 people have died from overdoses within Asheville city limits. New data from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner also shows Buncombe County climbing higher among the state’s hardest-hit counties for fentanyl-related deaths. It now ranks as the fifth-highest county in the state for fentanyl deaths, with data as of March 2026 reviewed for a year.
“Every day there’s a number of incidents of overdose,” said Micheal Woods, Western Carolina Rescue Ministries executive director.
Woods says overdose calls have become a near-daily reality. He frequently sees emergency notifications such as “Person in cardiac arrest after drug overdose in Asheville” come up on his phone.
“Without question, we have a problem here in Asheville,” Woods said.
On Tuesday, Asheville police confirmed Racheal Tuck, 23, who had been reported missing by family members earlier this month, died from an apparent overdose. Toxicology results are still pending and could take several months.
An incident report obtained by News 13 shows family members reported her missing on June 4. The Asheville Housing Authority confirmed Tuck was found in a vacant apartment at Pisgah View Apartments. The Asheville Housing Authority reports issues of break-ins and drug use inside vacant units as staff try to address prior mismanagement of the complexes.
Woods says fentanyl continues to fuel the region’s overdose crisis.
“Buncombe County is not immune to this. Drugs are coming in. Law enforcement is doing what it can do. The medical community is doing what it can do,” Woods said.
Problems persist despite those efforts. New figures from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner show Buncombe County now ranks fifth in the state for fentanyl-positive death rates on a per-capita basis, up from seventh in previous reports. The latest report shows Buncombe County’s fentanyl-positive death rate at 22.9 deaths per 100,000 residents over the most recent 12-month period, well above the statewide rate of 12.5.
“We’re basically seeing drug use being done in every community, every neighborhood,” Woods said. “In places where there’s so much poverty and so much desperation, you’re going to see a higher number of overdoses.”
State medical examiner data indicate that counties across North Carolina continue to struggle with fentanyl-related deaths, with Buncombe County remaining among the top 10 counties statewide and moving higher in the rankings during recent reporting periods.
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