Analysis by Lucia Delaney
I. The Transcript
II. The Transcript with Analysis
I. The Transcript
Operator: Police emergency, this is Simone.
Foster Mother: Yeah hi my son is missing, he's three and a half.
Operator: (inaudible)
Foster Mother: Umm sorry...
Operator: Your address?
Foster Mother: Benaroon Drive, Kendall.
Op: OK Benaroon drive in Kendall?
Foster Mother: Yes.
OP: Alright I'm just going to bring that up on my map I won't be a moment.
Foster Mother: Thank you.
Operator: How long has he been missing?
Foster Mother: I th... well, I think, well, we've been looking him for him now for about fifteen or twenty minutes but...
Operator: OK.
Foster Mother: Ah, I thought it could be five, it could be longer 'cause he was just playing around here we heard him and then we heard nothing.
Operator: OK, so I've got the nearest cross street being Ellendale crescent, is that right?
Foster Mother: Sorry, what is it?
Operator: Ellendale Crescent?
Foster Mother: I don't know my, this is my Mum's house... ah hang on, there's another lady out helping us look for him I'll see if I can find her but it's Benaroon B-E-N-A-R-double O-N.
Operator: Yeah I can see I can see where you are I just wanted yeah so, it was it's Benarron drive in Kendal and I've got, I've got your nearest cross street as being Ellendale Crsecent
Foster Mother: It could be I don't know.
Operator: OK. So he's been missing since about 10:30?
Foster Mother: Yeah I'd say so.
Operator: OK can you describe him to me how tall, obviously not very tall but approximately...
Foster Mother: No, he'd be about two and a half feet. He's wearing a Spider-man outfit...um.
Operator: What colour hair has he got?
Foster Mother: He's got um dark sandy coloured hair, it's short and he's got really big ah brownie/grey coloured eyes.
Operator: OK. Would he have had any shoes on do you know? Any other distinguishing features?
Foster Mother: Um, um, um he has oh he's got a freckle on the top of his head when you part the hair on the left hand side (Operator: yep) you'll see a freckle on the top of his head.
Operator: OK, alright. Do you know where he might have gone?
Foster Mother: Um, we're a li-, we actually live, well mother's property's near a State forest (Operator: OK) and they're on huge blocks. We've walked up and down Benaroon Drive and we can't find him.
Operator: OK, what's his name?
Foster Mother: William.
Operator: So what's William's surname?
Foster Mother: Ah Tyrrell T-Y-double R-E-double L.
Operator: OK has he been known to sort of go anywhere before...
Foster Mother: No, this is the first time, (Operator: The first time he's wandered off) completely out of character
Operator: There wasn't anyone um suspicious in the area? Any vehicles?
Foster Mother: No, no, no, no well not that I no not that I'm aware of. We were just, I was out there talking with my mum and my other daughter so...
Does the Foster Mother know characters she does not trust?
Operator: OK
Foster Mother: And we heard him roaring around the garden and, then I thought oh, I haven't heard him I better go check on him and I can't find him.
Operator: OK, alright, we'll send police to see you at Benaroon Drive in Kendall ( Foster Mother: inaudible) we'll also get um, the message broadcasted to all the cars to keep a look out for him as well OK?
Foster Mother: Yeah sure, thanks so much thanks bye bye.
Operator: Bye.
II. Statement With Analysis
Operator: Police emergency, this is Simone.
Foster Mother: Yeah hi my son is missing, he's three and a half.
The foster mother begins her emergency call with a greeting “Yeah hi.” This level of politeness is unexpected in an emergency call which is often described as a form of “excited utterance.”
a. "yeah" is a form of "yes" or agreement. We note that some will evidence a form of ingratiation; that is, to be seen on the side of law enforcement.
b. "hi" is a polite greeting-- it is not expected in the context of a missing child of a young age.
c. "yeah, hi"--- consider taken together is a pause. A pause indicates a need to think of what to say. This, too, in context, is not expected and can sometimes indicate scripted language where one is attempting to only say what has been pre-thought.
She also gives the boy an incomplete social introduction, mentioning his age, but not his name as she may be in a hurry to get the information out. That she uses the pronoun "my" shows that she is not attempting to distance herself from him.
Operator: (inaudible)
Foster Mother: Umm sorry...
We flag the word "sorry" for any cause. Some will use it out of politeness, while others may use it due to a form of guilt. We do not expect to hear it in an emergency call; no different than the expected impolite hastening to facilitate the flow of information to the police.
One may be "sorry" due to criminal guilt, but also one may be "sorry" due to failure to protect.
Some children do go missing where the parent or caretaker who is making the emergency call indicate guilt due to neglect or failure to protect, rather than criminal guilt.
For example, if a mother or caretaker was watching television rather than watching the child, and the child is abducted, the mother may show signals of guilt that is not due to the abduction.
In one case, a man was deceptive about his young toddler who wandered off but was murdered by a pedophile on the block.
He was deceptive due to substance abuse, passed out on the couch, while the child was able to let herself out of the house.
Operator: Your address?
Foster Mother: Benaroon Drive, Kendall.
Op: OK Benaroon drive in Kendall?
Foster Mother: Yes.
OP: Alright I'm just going to bring that up on my map I won't be a moment.
Foster Mother: Thank you.
Operator: How long has he been missing?
Foster Mother: I th... well, I think, well, we've been looking him for him now for about fifteen or twenty minutes but...
Here we see self censoring.
The child is not her biological child, which sets the context of the call for us, along with the child's age, level of self protection he is capable of, any illness or disabilities (special needs) and so on.
At the date reported missing, he was 3 years, 3 months old; incapable of survival, protection or caring for self.
She began with "I", but then needed a pause ("well") and then a weak commitment, ("I think") and then she moved to the plural ("we've") after another pause ("well").
This caller does not want to be psychologically "alone" with the information.
Operator: OK.
The operator should not interrupt, ask compound questions, nor finish the subject's sentences.
Foster Mother: Ah, I thought it could be five, it could be longer 'cause he was just playing around here we heard him and then we heard nothing.
Operator: OK, so I've got the nearest cross street being Ellendale crescent, is that right?
Foster Mother: Sorry, what is it?
Operator: Ellendale Crescent?
Foster Mother: I don't know my, this is my Mum's house... ah hang on, there's another lady out helping us look for him I'll see if I can find her but it's Benaroon B-E-N-A-R-double O-N.
Operator: Yeah I can see I can see where you are I just wanted yeah so, it was it's Benarron drive in Kendal and I've got, I've got your nearest cross street as being Ellendale Crsecent
Foster Mother: It could be I don't know.
Operator: OK. So he's been missing since about 10:30?
Foster Mother: Yeah I'd say so.
Operator: OK can you describe him to me how tall, obviously not very tall but approximately...
Foster Mother: No, he'd be about two and a half feet. He's wearing a Spider-man outfit...um.
Operator: What colour hair has he got?
Foster Mother: He's got um dark sandy coloured hair, it's short and he's got really big ah brownie/grey coloured eyes.
Operator: OK. Would he have had any shoes on do you know? Any other distinguishing features?
Foster Mother: Um, um, um he has oh he's got a freckle on the top of his head when you part the hair on the left hand side (Operator: yep) you'll see a freckle on the top of his head.
Operator: OK, alright. Do you know where he might have gone?
Foster Mother: Um, we're a li-, we actually live, well mother's property's near a State forest (Operator: OK) and they're on huge blocks. We've walked up and down Benaroon Drive and we can't find him.
Operator: OK, what's his name?
Foster Mother: William.
Operator: So what's William's surname?
Foster Mother: Ah Tyrrell T-Y-double R-E-double L.
Operator: OK has he been known to sort of go anywhere before...
Foster Mother: No, this is the first time, (Operator: The first time he's wandered off) completely out of character
Operator: There wasn't anyone um suspicious in the area? Any vehicles?
Foster Mother: No, no, no, no well not that I no not that I'm aware of. We were just, I was out there talking with my mum and my other daughter so...
The question produced a halting or repetition on the word "no", which increases the import of the question.
This sensitivity could be due to knowingly associating with suspicious persons.
We also have the concern regarding Neglect.
Operator: OK
Foster Mother: And we heard him roaring around the garden and, then I thought oh, I haven't heard him I better go check on him and I can't find him.
Not she saw him or she heard him, but "we" and "we" only "heard" him; which tells us that this was not eyes on supervision of a young child.
It is similar to a Hina Clause where the subject feels the need to explain why she went out to check on him. This is very sensitive information.
Operator: OK, alright, we'll send police to see you at Benaroon Drive in Kendall ( Foster Mother: inaudible) we'll also get um, the message broadcasted to all the cars to keep a look out for him as well OK?
Foster Mother: Yeah sure, thanks so much thanks bye bye.
Operator: Bye
Notes:
Next she says “ummm sorry” and later says “Sorry” a second time during this relatively short call. The word sorry tends to enter the language either of the polite, or the guilty during an emergency call. This is noted.
Then the mother says “Thank you” to the operator, who is performing his job. Together with her unexpected greeting at the outset of the call, we begin to question whether this mother has a need to ingratiate herself with authorities.
To the question of how long he has been missing, she responds with halting, broken sentences, switching pronouns (I, I, We), and a lack of conviction. The question of the time he went missing is very sensitive to her. She reports how long “we’ve” been searching for him, rather than how long he has been missing. She does not wish to be alone in the boy going missing. She does return to his question with “I thought it could be five, it could be longer.” Without being asked , she reports the reason why, “cause he was just playing around here.” She is preempting the question of why she isn’t sure how long her son has been missing, adding to the sensitivity of timing.
She returns to using the pronoun “we”, which is often an attempt to share guilt or responsibility. “We heard him and then we heard nothing.” And then is a skipping over of time, which can indicate missing information. She expands on it later in the call “we heard him roaring around the garden and then, I thought oh I haven’t heard him”. Her choice of the word roaring causes me to wonder if he was too loud for her. Could it be a subtle form of disparaging her missing son? The operator, still trying to elicit a timeline from her, offers “So he’s been missing since about 10:30?” ,and the mother takes him up on it, “yeah I’d say so”. Is she thinking of someone else who might say differently?
This mother still has not called her foster son by his name, nor has she come out and asked for help in finding him. Nor has she indicated any concern for him. The operator, still attempting to pull facts from her, has to ask for his name. When asked to describe him, the mother goes into some detail about his hair and his eyes. Asked for any other distinguishing features she also describes something on his head “he’s got a freckle on the top of his head when you part the hair (why not his hair? Is this distancing language?) on the left hand side you’ll see a freckle on the top of his head.” And she repeats it, making that important to her. She chooses these details to report all relating to his head. This is what is on her mind. Did something happen to his head that is related to his disappearance? Was he making noise, but something happened to stop him from making noise?
When asked if she knows where he may have gone, she starts to report (again in halting, broken sentences) where they live instead. By not answering, she shows sensitivity to that question as well. She then describes her mother’s property and reports “We’ve walked up and down Benaroon Drive and we can’t find him.” Then, only in response to a direct question, does she finally state her son’s name.
When asked if there was anyone suspicious or vehicles in the area she responds “No, no, no, no” repeating it four times. But then backpedals into “well not that I no not that I’m aware of. We were just, I was” . This kind of confusion of pronouns is not natural. Pronouns are instinctive and we do not make mistakes with them. This question was also very sensitive to her.
Then she reports, without being asked, the reason why she went to check on William in the garden. “And then (again, there is possibly missing information here) I thought oh I haven’t heard him, I better go check on him and I can’t find him.”
To the operator’s promise to send police and broadcast his description she responds “Yeah sure. Thanks so much. Thanks. Bye bye.” Again being very polite and ending with a social “bye bye” rather than just ending the call.
Conclusion:
The foster mother has a need to ingratiate herself with the operator, but only gives out information piece by piece, in response to questions. She never asked for help for William. She did not work with the operator to facilitate the flow of information for the victim's benefit.
The foster mother’s linguistic disposition towards William is neutral at best, making it negative in the context of her three year old son going missing.
She is withholding information about his disappearance in her emergency call.
She indicates guilty knowledge about what happened.
It could be being deceptive due to Neglect, regarding the length of time she left William outside unsupervised; perhaps fearing she will be blamed for that.
She may be withholding something more incriminating, including known associations.
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