A five-year-old boy in Detroit called 911 when his mother collapsed, but operators dismissed his pleas for help as a prank and sent police to scold him instead of sending paramedics.
By the time help finally arrived, Sherrill Turner had been dead for hours.
Robert Turner was five years old when his mother collapsed in their Detroit home on February 20, 2006.
The boy understood something was terribly wrong and did exactly what children are taught to do in emergencies.
Two Calls, Two Dismissals
At 5:59 p.m., Robert made his first call to 911.
Operator Sharon Nichols told him "I'm going to send the police over to your house" then hung up.
Three hours passed with no help arriving, so the boy called again.
During the second call at 9:02 p.m., dispatcher Terri Sutton told Robert "I don't care, you shouldn't be playing on the phone" and threatened to send police to get him in trouble.
Police Sent to Chastise, Not Help
Sutton dispatched an officer to the apartment on Spruce Street to chastise the boy.
When police finally arrived at 9:40 p.m., they found Sherrill Turner dead.
The 46-year-old mother had died from complications of an enlarged heart.
Robert was placed in the custody of relatives.
First Criminal Case of Its Kind
The case marked the first time nationally that a 911 operator had been charged with a crime for mishandling an emergency call.
Charges against Sutton were dismissed, but Sharon Nichols was convicted of willful neglect of duty after a five-day trial.
She received one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $450 fine.
Two years after his mother's death, seven-year-old Robert told reporters he would forgive the operator if she apologized, saying "She was mean to me. She didn't send help" and "I think about my mother every day. She was the best. I really miss her."