Inmate dies after being found unresponsive in Buncombe County jail cell
By Marisa Sardonia
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BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A man being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility has died after being found unresponsive in his cell, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said 33-year-old Douglas Michael Stroupe was found unresponsive in his cell around 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24. He was transported to Mission Hospital and pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon.
The sheriff’s office said it notified the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, and family members of the deceased man. The NCSBI will conduct an independent review of the circumstances surrounding his death, according to the sheriff’s office.
Stroupe was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility in November 2025.
On Nov. 20, 2025, officers with the Asheville Police Department responded to Warren Avenue to assist EMS crews with a man who appeared “severely beaten,” APD said. When officers arrived, they found a victim with serious injuries, who was then taken to Mission Hospital.
Further investigation led police to conduct a welfare check at a nearby home, where they discovered the scene of a burglary and found 45-year-old Jennifer Rose Gerard dead from knife wounds.
At the time of his death, Stroupe was awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill, first-degree burglary and first-degree rape.
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