Inmate Carl Friberg Dies in a North Carolina Jail
In North Carolina news dated October 15, 2025, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said that a male inmate at the Haywood County Detention Center died in the jail’s custody over the weekend.
On October 4, 2025, Carl Friberg went through intake at the Haywood County Detention Center. Tragically, he died about 7 days later at a date and time not specified. Mr. Friberg was only 40 years old when he died in the jail’s custody in a local hospital.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has been asked by the Sheriff of Haywood County to investigate Mr. Friberg’s death, which is standard protocol whenever a custodial death occurs. An SBI spokesman said that Mr. Friberg died on October 11 or 12.
SBI said that detention officers at the Haywood County jail discovered Mr. Friberg unresponsive in his cell. He was transported by an ambulance to a nearby medical center, where he was later pronounced deceased. No specific dates or times have been released in connection with the death of Carl Friberg.
No other information will be released at the request of and respect for Mr. Friberg’s family, according to a statement from SBI on October 14, 2025.
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office notified the Haywood County District Attorney’s Office about the custodial death. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine Mr. Friberg’s cause of death.
When jail deaths occur in North Carolina, Sheriff’s offices must submit a report within five days to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The completed “Report of an Inmate Death Form” prompts the Division of Health Service Regulation to determine through investigations whether the jail was in compliance with jail standards in the time just preceding the inmate’s death.
Carl Friberg is the fourth inmate reported to have died after being booked into a Western North Carolina jail this year so far. The other three individuals are Geneva Daniels, Christopher Morrow, and Shaina Marie Taylor.
The address of the Haywood County Detention Center is 1620 Brown Ave, Waynesville, North Carolina 28786. The jail has a current inmate capacity of 109.
Geneva Daniels Dies of Fentanyl Poisoning in Buncombe County Jail
Geneva Daniels, 57, was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Center on April 18, 2025. She was placed in a cell at 1:53 a.m. with another female inmate. During the 6 a.m. head count, detention center staff were surprised to see that Ms. Daniels wasn’t standing. She was discovered unresponsive and lying on her cot. The jail staff began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and 9-1-1 was called. When paramedics arrived, they continued CPR during transport by ambulance to the emergency room, where Geneva Daniels was pronounced deceased the morning of April 19, 2025.
According to the autopsy report from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Geneva Daniels’ cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. Her death was deemed accidental.
There was no mention of whether Narcan, a brand name for the medication naloxone, was used in the attempts to revive Ms. Daniels. With drugs being the cause of many jail deaths across the U.S., many jails have made it a practice to ensure that Narcan is easily accessible to jail staff. Narcan is used for the emergency treatment of an individual suspected of an opioid overdose. Narcan quickly displaces the drug, including fentanyl, and its effects, allowing the restoration of normal breathing.
The address of the Buncombe County Detention Center is 20 Davidson Dr, Asheville, North Carolina 28801. The main jail and jail annex in the Buncombe County Detention Center have a total bed capacity of 524.
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