Anna Garrett Shows Buncombe County CSI's High-Tech Lab and Workflow

Behind a locked doorway inside the Buncombe County courthouse, crime scene investigator Anna Garrett walked through a lab where items brought in from death scenes and major investigations are preserved, documented and prepared for court. The facility combines traditional evidence care with new technology, and county officials say it changes how investigations are handled in Asheville and across Buncombe County.

The Crime Scene Investigation unit is staffed as a five-person team — four investigators and a supervisor — and is described as entirely female. The unit responds to every death scene in Buncombe County, as well as assaults with a deadly weapon and bank robberies. Sheriff Quentin Miller said creating a dedicated CSI team was a deliberate investment to professionalize evidence collection: “Having someone independent to collect evidence became real paramount for me, that we would in fact invest in a CSI unit.” Miller also framed the work as part of modernizing policing: “When I speak about 21st century policing or 21st century law enforcement and this is just another step in how we do that.”

Anna Garrett showed how the lab handles physical evidence, from DrySafe equipment that assists with delicate drying tasks to cold storage for items that require refrigeration. Garrett demonstrated a Matterport 3D imaging camera and explained its courtroom implications: everything collected and processed can be recreated and presented after the fact. “Everything we do from the moment we arrive can be introduced in court,” Garrett said. She emphasized the unit’s neutral, procedural role: “We’re not giving opinions. We’re testifying to what we did and what we collected.” Garrett also spoke to her personal path to the work: “I’ve always been fascinated with forensic science, and I really love criminal justice. This is where those two meet, and I feel very lucky to have this job.”

Leigh Thomas, the CSI unit supervisor, described the operational scope that frees detectives to focus on interviews and case building. “Now that we’re here, we do all that,” Thomas said. “We do all the photographs, we process the entire scene, we collect all the evidence, whether it’s ballistic evidence, DNA evidence.” Thomas added a broader note on practice: “The future of criminal investigation is evidence.”

The lab sits within the courthouse at 60 Court Plaza, 4th Floor, Asheville, NC 28801. Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office public hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the office can be reached at (828) 250-4503, with 911 for emergencies. Crime scene investigators are not sworn law enforcement officers; they do not make arrests or carry firearms, and their work is focused on documentation and preservation that stands up under legal scrutiny.

For Buncombe County residents, the CSI unit means investigative work that is more evidence-centered and better supported by technology, while detectives are able to spend more time interviewing witnesses and pursuing leads. Sheriff Miller framed the change as part of a broader modernization effort: “To have a unit specifically working on collecting evidence, that’s paramount, something that hasn't happened.” As the unit continues operations, officials and the public will be watching for measurable changes in case timelines and courtroom outcomes as the CSI team’s methods become part of routine practice.