Buncombe inmate dies in custody

A 40-year-old Black Mountain man died Monday during a three-day stay at the Buncombe County Detention Facility. Officials have not released a cause of death but said he was found unresponsive in his bed.

An autopsy was scheduled Tuesday in Wake Forest, according to a Buncombe County medical examiner.

Christopher Coe Boyd Jr., 40, was confined for three days because of a probation violation, according to a press release from the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department. He had been convicted of felony possession of schedule II controlled substance in April 2016 and sentenced to 24 months probation, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety records. Schedule II substances include heroin, cocaine and amphetamines.

After Boyd did not report for breakfast, an officer went to check on him around 6:10 a.m. Monday, according to the press release. Boyd was lying in his bed unresponsive, it continues.

"The officer then requested additional assistance from Detention Facility personnel to enter the cell; upon entering the cell the inmate’s pulse was checked, and the inmate was positioned on the floor for chest compressions to be conducted," the press release states. "Detention Facility personnel took turns conducting chest compression, while the medical nurse gave breaths using a valve mask until the Asheville Fire Department arrived. Paramedics and Asheville Fire Department personnel worked on the inmate for about 30 minutes before pronouncing him deceased."

The Asheville Citizen-Times has requested additional details, and this story will be updated as they emerge.