HAWLEY, PA — Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell issued a statement on May 20, saying that 30-year-old Ralissa Gibson of Hawley had died of an overdose of a combination of ethanol, opiates and benzodiazepines. State Police accused Edmond O’Conner of injecting heroin into Gibson’s arm, which caused her to lose consciousness.

Police said that on April 17, when O’Conner realized Gibson had suffered an overdose, he threw empty heroin packets into the Lackawaxen River after fleeing the scene. The death was ruled a homicide and O’Conner, who had been arrested earlier, was charged with the same as well as other related drug charges.

Police say that another man, Vincent Brown, gave Gibson money to buy the drugs, and O’Conner arranged the sale. Gibson gave him five packets of heroin in exchange for getting the heroin. He injected her because she didn’t know how to do it.

At about 5 a.m., she was discovered non-responsive; Brown administered CPR and O’Conner left the scene. Police later found O’Conner at a house across the street. O’Conner was jailed on $750,000 bail.