A 31-year-old man and a 52-year-old man are dead; and a 23-year-old man was revived during three suspected heroin overdoses in the township since Oct. 17.
      Last Thurs., Oct. 22, Boardman police were called to 4343 Chester Dr., apt. 1 near 10:30 p.m. Ptl. Phil Merlo said that during a 25-minute period, four doses of ‘narcan’ were given to 31-year-old Gregory Gisewhite “directly into his cartoid artery, with no results.” Gisewhite was declared dead at 10:52 p.m.
      On Sat., Oct. 24, at 8:45 p.m., police were called to an apartment at 3985 South Schenley Ave. where Boardman Fire EMS personnel said they found 52-year-old George Oracio, laying dead on the bathroom floor.
      On Sat., Oct. 17, about 1:00 p.m., 23-year-old David Michael Higham was found “unresponsive and not breathing” on the living room floor at 5008 Firnley Ave., while another man slept on a nearby couch.
      Ptl. Jamison Diglaw said that Higham was given narcan and regained consciousness.
      Gregory Gisewhite
      When Officer Merlo arrived on Chester Dr. last Saturday, he spoke with Erica N. Woods, Gisewhite’s 31-year-oldlive-in girlfriend, who was hysterical and extremely distraught.
      “Erica advised she and Gisewhite had ‘shot-up’ heroin together in the kitchen and she must have passed out,” Officer Merlo reported. Woods said the next thing she remembered was finding Gisewhite ‘unresponsive’ in a bedroom.
      Questioned by the policeman, Woods was unable to give any particular times when they ingested heroin, or when she woke-up afterwards.
      According to Gisewhite’s grandmother, Barbara Fairchild, of Cortland, upon first discovering Gisewhite’s body, Woods called her and the grandmother then told the girlfriend to call 9-1-1.
      Woods told police that Gisewhite purchased $50 worth of heroin sometime around 8:30 from a dealer she identified as ‘D’ about 8:30 p.m. and made the transaction in the parking lot of a Family Dollar store. Police seized Gisewhite’s cell phone, believed to contained ‘D’s’ phone number.
      “Woods said that ‘D’ is the black male who they have bought from in the past,” Officer Merlo reported.
      Police found cotton swabs and knotted baggie corners in a kitchen trash can, and with the assistance of Gisewhite’s grandmother, a capped syringe, burnt spoon and rolled-up napkin were found under a bedroom mattress.
      At 11:45 p.m., Gisewhite’s body was taken to the Mahoning County morgue.
      George Oracio
      According to Ptl. Jake Lape, when he entered Oracio’s apartment, he observed a burnt spoon containing heroin residue on a bathroom counter, and observed a hypodermic needle in the man’s left hand.
      His brother, who was at the apartment, told police that Oracio ‘was hepatitis-C’ and “would frequently use cocaine,” Officer Lape said.
      David Mitchell Higham
      Chad Estap, 23, of 5008 Firnley Ave., told Officer Diglaw that Higham had been living with him “temporarily,” and that Higham “had just returned to the apartment and passed out and fell to the floor.”
      “Arthur Young (29, also of 5008 Firnley Ave.) was asleep on the living room couch during the incident,” Officer Diglaw said, adding that Austin Reash, (18, of 5924 Friendship Ave.) was...asleep in the bedroom.”
      According to Officer Diglaw, Estep told police he does not tolerate drugs in his house and was unaware of Higham’s heroin use.
      Police spoke with Higham in the emergency room at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Boardman.
      “Higham admitted using heroin, claiming he was walking in an unknown location in Youngstown when he was approached (by a stranger) who offered him a free taste,” Officer Diglaw reported, adding “Higham admitted to being a heroin user, but stated he hadn’t used in a long time.”
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