An Arkansas woman drowned in her vehicle Saturday while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher who has been described as “callous and uncaring” by police.

Debra Stevens, 47, desperately pleaded for help as a dispatcher scolded her for driving into water, at one point telling the drowning woman to "shut up," according to audio of the 911 call provided to USA TODAY by the Fort Smith Police Department.

The death of Debra Stevens has prompted the Fort Smith Police Department to investigate its internal policies over the incident, the Southwest Times Record reports. The dispatcher on the call, identified by the paper as Donna Reneau, was working her last shift as a dispatcher and dispatch trainer when she picked up the call early Saturday morning.

A statement from the Fort Smith Police Department said that officers and firefighters were “inundated with 911 calls from other citizens also stranded in flood waters,” which led to a delay in aiding Stevens. The statement says rescue efforts were hampered by the intense flooding, as well as Stevens’ inability to describe her exact location.

Stevens called, saying that the water was “all the way up to my windows, and I can’t get out, and I’m scared to death, ma’am.”

“Can you please help me?” she asked the dispatcher.

The dispatcher, who the Times Record identified as Reneau, repeatedly told Stevens that she would not drown.

Later in the call, Stevens pleads with Reneau, telling her she’s scared. Reneau replied that she’s “going to have to hold on” before aid can come to her.

Around 11 minutes in, Reneau scolds Stevens, asking why she drove into water, and telling her that this would be a learning opportunity for her.

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“I’m sorry ma’am, I didn’t see it,” Stevens said, to which Reneau responded, “I don’t see how you didn’t see it.”

Three minutes later, Reneau tells Stevens: “A lot of people aren’t going to put themselves in danger just because you put yourself in danger.”

Stevens, later in the call, told Reneau that the water was up to her neck. Seemingly panicked, Stevens interrupted Reneau’s instructions, to which she told her to “shut up.”

Interim Police Chief Danny Baker told the Southwest Times Record that Reneau would have been reprimanded for her conduct in the call, but did not find anything warranting a criminal investigation.

After Stephens started screaming “I can’t breathe,” Reneau told her, “Miss Debbie, you are breathing just fine, because you are screaming at me. So calm down.”

When first responders finally arrived to the car, the department said, she had tragically succumbed to drowning.

“I am heartbroken for this tragic loss of life and my prayers are with Debra’s family and friends,” said Baker in the statement. “All of our first responders who attempted to save Mrs. Stevens are distraught over the outcome. For every one of us, saving lives is at the very core of who we are and why we do what we do. When we are unsuccessful, it hurts.”

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