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Niles police probe homicide, possible attempted suicide
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Investigators continued to work throughout the day Tuesday in this house at 138 S. Cleveland Avenue in Niles to uncover evidence of what caused the death of Lisa Fisher, 39. She was found dead on the couch in the house on Monday afternoon, while her husband, John Fisher, 53, was found badly injured from apparent self-inflicted lacerations in a bedroom.
By Ed Runyan
NILES
A 39-year-old woman who had been dead for two to three days was found on her living-room couch Monday afternoon, and her 53-year-old husband was found critically injured in bed after an apparent murder-attempted suicide.
A family member alerted police to the Fisher residence at 138 S. Cleveland Ave. about 12:30 p.m. Monday, where they found Lisa Fisher dead and John Fisher injured but still alive in the bedroom.
John Fisher was in critical condition Tuesday in a hospital, Niles Police Chief Bruce Simeone said. John Fisher suffered from apparently self-inflicted lacerations.
Niles police had been called to the home six times since Dec. 1 for various complaints the Fishers had about each other, including a Jan. 3 call in which one of the Fishers alleged that John Fisher was threatening to kill himself.
At this point, police do not believe anyone else was involved in Lisa Fisher’s death or John Fisher’s injuries, Simeone said.
“It looks like a domestic that went really bad,” Simeone said.
Lisa Fisher suffered blunt-force trauma to her forehead, but police at this point don’t know what type of object caused the injury.
The Trumbull County coroner, Dr. Humphrey Germaniuk, was planning to conduct an autopsy today.
Niles police secured a search warrant Tuesday and went back inside the house along with investigators from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
Police believe John Fisher, who lost a lot of blood, remained in the home after his wife died and didn’t call anyone to alert them, Simeone said.
A neighbor, who wished not to be identified, said the Fisher residence is the only house on the street where police cars came on a frequent basis. “This neighborhood is really quiet,” she said.
She thought the Fishers had been married only a short time. John Fisher had lived there much longer than Lisa Fisher, she said.
Trumbull County marriage records indicate the couple was married Nov. 15, 2008.
“It seemed like they didn’t get along,” the neighbor said. The woman said she didn’t know much about the couple and didn’t visit their home but observed interactions that indicated problems.
“If I’d see them in the yard when it was warm, it just didn’t look right,” she said.
Calls to the police began Dec. 1, when one of the Fishers reported that one of the two committed a theft against the other.
On Dec. 12, there was a call regarding a forged check that one was blaming on the other.
On Dec. 26, Robert Fisher blamed his wife for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and theft of bank cards.
On Dec. 30, Robert Fisher reported his wife had stolen some of his pills. An hour later, he called again to ask police to stand by while Lisa Fisher removed some of her belongings.