Special Needs Child Saves Mother from Overdose by Dialing 9-1-1, Mother Charged with Felony

North Penn Now Staff•

Michelle Gresh, 37, of Upper Gwynedd.

A local mother is lucky to be alive, thanks to the actions of her quick-thinking son who dialed 9-1-1 when he found her unresponsive from a drug overdose in her bedroom.

According to the criminal complaint, Upper Gwynedd Township Police were dispatched to a residence in late November 2019 for a report of an unconscious female. The report states that the incident was called in by the woman’s 8-year-old son, who was characterized by police as having special needs.

Upon arrival, police found the woman—identified as 37-year-old Michelle Gresh—unresponsive with agonal (abnormal and labored) breathing, hunched over on the floor next to her bed, the report states. Police also observed syringes and heroin packets on the bed and the floor area, according to the report.

Police then administered one dose of Narcan, which successfully revived Gresh.

"I think it remarkable that the child, despite some cognitive challenges, was able to recognize that his mother needed emergency care,” said Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy. "He called 9-1-1 and guided officers in so they could save her life by administering naloxone.”

The complaint states that after being revived, Gresh allegedly admitted to relapsing and using heroin. While assessing the area outside of the bedroom, police found additional syringes and heroin in plain view in the hallway, according to the complaint.

Due to the alleged unobstructed access that the boy had to the drugs and paraphernalia, police said he could have been the victim of serious bodily injury or death, the report states.

"In this case, the primary caregiver voluntarily, by ingesting drugs, created a hazardous situation for a special needs child,” said Duffy.

On Jan. 7, police filed charges against Gresh, including one felony count of endangering the welfare of a child and misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person, corruption of minors, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Gresh was taken into custody on Jan. 14 and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $5,000 unsecured. Gresh was then released from custody, and her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Jan. 31 in front of Judge Levine.

Duffy stated that the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department maintains a confidential Special Needs Registry that allows police to provide better service to residents of any age who have special needs, and added that the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety maintains a similar program called Smart 9-1-1.

(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)