Eight-year-old Ryan Crosby sat at his kitchen table, overwhelmed by a math assignment due the next day. After trying everything he could, including searching online, he did something unexpected—he picked up the phone and called 911. “911, what’s your emergency?” came the voice on the line. “I need help with math,” Ryan replied innocently, adding that his mom had told him not to be afraid to call 911 for help.
At first, the operator suspected it might be a Halloween prank. But when Ryan said he was alone at home and his mom wasn’t there, things took a serious turn. The operator kept him talking while tracing his location—and what officers found when they arrived was far more alarming than just a math problem…