A teenage boy was found dead in his car in a parking lot near his Cincinnati school, just hours after he called 911 for help.
The 16-year-old boy was identified as Kyle Plush by authorities. He was found on Tuesday, April 10, near Seven Hills School.
“I probably don’t have much time left, so tell my mom I love her if I die,” Plush told a 911 dispatcher, according to FOX59.
Location map of this area where a 911 call was received from a subject stated they were stuck in a van outside of Seven Hills school where the Honda Odyssey was located. pic.twitter.com/br5dX8Uk2H
— Cincinnati Police (@CincyPD) April 12, 2018
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the boy died of asphyxia after he became trapped in the third-row bench seat of his 2004 Honda Odyssey minivan after the seat flipped. He was trying to retrieve his tennis equipment.
“This young man was trapped in the third-row bench seat, and it is called asphyxia due to chest compression,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters Deters said in a news release. “We are actively working to identify experts to assist us in this investigation.”
Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said at a Thursday news conference that the dispatcher failed to pass on information about the teenager to the responding officers. Because of this, police were not able to find Plush in time.
"This is not a joke": Teen trapped in car made desperate 911 calls for help before he died. https://t.co/k7kWBNPW6u pic.twitter.com/uFYT4Tfpbt
— ABC News (@ABC) April 12, 2018
“Something has gone terribly wrong,” Isaac said at the news conference.
The dispatcher was identified by Isaac as Amber Smith. He said it could have been human error or an equipment issue that contributed to the problem.
“This was a horrific tragedy. We share in their heartbreak around this,” he said. “Police officers, firefighters and even emergency personnel, you do this because they want to help.”
Police said the teenager’s 911 call lasted for almost three minutes before it disconnected, according to ABC News. Dispatchers tried to call him back but only got his voicemail.
According to FOX59, the teen was found by a family member around six hours later after his emergency call.
“This is not a joke,” Plush told 911 in the call. “I’m trapped inside my gold Honda Odyssey van in the … parking lot of Seven Hills.”
Isaac said an internal investigation was being conducted for the actions of all employees involved.
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