Matthew Maienza
Matthew Maienza was taken into custody by Buncombe County deputies in April 2020 after they responded to a report about a man in a driveway in the Avery's Creek area. The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office said he became unresponsive in custody, was given Narcan and CPR, and was taken to Mission Hospital, where he died the next day. In 2022 the district attorney declined to charge the deputies after a State Bureau of Investigation review, and in 2023 the county agreed to a $1.25 million settlement with his family.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined. The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office says he became unresponsive in custody, was given Narcan and CPR, and died at Mission Hospital the next day.
Reported by: Buncombe County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.
Lawsuit: His family reached a $1.25 million settlement with Buncombe County in 2023, after he died at Mission Hospital in April 2020 following his encounter with county deputies.