Chief Isaac: 'Something has gone terribly wrong,' dispatcher suspended

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Update, 7:49 p.m.: The dispatcher who received Kyle Plush's second 911 call did not convey the information Plush provided to officers on the scene where he later died, police said.

"Something has gone terribly wrong," on the second 911 call, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said at a Thursday news conference. "We need to find out why."

The 16-year-old died of asphyxia due to chest compression after the third-row bench seat of his 2004 Honda Odyssey minivan flipped and pinned him.

Isaac said he didn't know why the dispatcher, identified Thursday as Amber Smith, did not convey needed information to the responding officers. He said there could have been equipment issues or human error.

Smith has been placed on administrative leave. She has been a dispatcher since 2014.

More: Family of Kyle Plush, Seven Hills student killed in minivan: 'He is unforgettable'

"This was a horrific tragedy. We share in their heartbreak around this," Isaac said. "Police officers, firefighters and even emergency personnel, you do this because they want to help."

Isaac said there is an internal investigation of the actions of all employees involved.

Following the city's news conference, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office announced it would also be conducting an investigation to see if proper procedures were followed.

Deputy Doug Allen was directing traffic when school let out and assisted police in the search of Plush's van. He was unable to locate the van.

What we know

Kyle Plush died while trying to retrieve tennis equipment from the back of his minivan and was pinned by the rear bench seat, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the situation told the Enquirer.

The 2004 Odyssey has three rows of seating. Bucket seats are in the first two rows and a third row is a bench seat.

According to the source, Plush had climbed onto the back seat and was reaching over the seat into the back hatch to retrieve his tennis gear. The seat then flipped up and over toward the back hatch, pinning him upside down beneath the seat.

Though the 16-year-old was able to call 911, apparently twice, police were not able to find him. He later died in his minivan Tuesday in a parking lot at Seven Hills School's Hillsdale campus.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced Thursday afternoon his office would be launching an investigation into Plush's death following results of the Cincinnati Police Department's investigation. The investigation will be assisted by coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco.

“This young man was trapped in the third-row bench seat, and it is called asphyxia due to chest compression," Deters said in a news release. "We are actively working to identify experts to assist us in this investigation.”

The Cincinnati Police Department is holding a press conference at 3 p.m. regarding Plush's death.

More: Police: Teen found dead at Seven Hills School campus, police investigating

Here's what we know

Kyle Plush was a sophomore at the school. A preliminary autopsy report states his death was due to asphyxia due to chest compression. The Hamilton County Coroner ruled the death accidental.

He called 911 just after 3:15 p.m. Tuesday and told the 911 operator he was trapped and "in desperate need of help."

A second call was placed, but it unclear when this call was made. During this call, the operator had trouble hearing Plush. The operator sent a code over the line that would display as text on devices used by the hearing impaired.

More: Seven Hills death: Police got earlier call about someone stuck in a van

After that code was sent, Plush said "I'm trapped inside my gold Honda Odyssey van. In the (inaudible) parking lot of Seven Hills Hillsdale... Send officers immediately. I'm almost dead."

Cincinnati Police Officers Edsel Osborn and Brian Brazile were sent to the area. They reported they were on the scene at 3:26 p.m. about 10 minutes after the first call was made. They did not find Plush.

A Hamilton County sheriff's deputy called in and said he was also searching for the caller. The deputy said he had an argument with a woman in a van earlier and wondered if that person was prank-calling 911.

The deputy said he saw only one van parked in the area. He told the operator, "I looked in the van. I didn't see anyone." He said he would keep looking around.

The dispatch report connected to those first calls contains GPS coordinates that point to the section of the parking lot where Plush was later found, that section has about 40 spots in it. It is unclear how police determined these coordinates.

Then there was a gap of over five hours.

More: 'I probably don't have much time left,' dying Seven Hills student says in 911 call

Plush was found by a family member around 9 p.m. in a parking lot near the school. He was no longer breathing. Several 911 calls were made by people at this time.

Officers Edsel Osborn and Brian Brazile responded again. One told the dispatcher, "We had a run there earlier today. We think somebody is playing pranks.”

The coroner's office reported Plush died in the van.

Visitation for Kyle will be at TP White Funeral home on Sunday, 2050 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230.

Funeral services will be Monday, 9:30 a.m. at St. Rose Church, 2501 Riverside Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202.

Unanswered questions

Why were police unable to locate Plush in the searches after his 911 calls? Plush said he was in a gold Honda Odyssey in the school parking lot.

Were 911 call takers unable to hear the information Plush was providing to them? An operator told the Hamilton County deputy it was "really hard to hear" the call, but it is unclear why information didn't make it to the officers on the scene.

How much of that information was passed along to police if it was heard? It is unknown if the make and model of the van or other details were passed along to officers on the scene, but city officials said Thursday that information from the second call didn't make it to officers.

Did the police or the deputy get out of their vehicles to search the area?

Was Plush reported missing? Calls and radio transmissions from around 9 p.m. reference a missing juvenile, but it is unclear if and when such a report was made.

Was the school contacted to help with the search?

Did the GPS coordinates on the dispatch report come from Plush's cell phone? If so, were the police officers conducting the search provided with that information? Those coordinates would have put police within a few dozen feet of his vehicle.