WILMINGTON — A local man has died of an apparent heroin overdose, according to police.

Emergency services responded just before 6 p.m. Sunday to a home in the 500 block of West Truesdell Street. where Joseph Dawson, 31, of that address was discovered deceased in the basement, according to the Wilmington Police Department report.

Officers seized two syringes and a cell phone at the scene. An investigator from the Clinton County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene.

A brother of Dawson’s, Jacob, has started a GoFundMe page to raise $3,000 for funeral expenses. The page description states, “(Joseph) struggled with drugs for four years. He wanted help but was afraid to ask.”

The GoFundMe page is at http://bit.ly/2ylBeSx .

Reach John Hamilton at 937-382-2574