An 8-year-old boy named Ryan Crosby called 911 in Madison, hoping to get help with his math homework. His mother had always told him not to be afraid to call 911 if he ever needed assistance. When the dispatcher answered, Ryan explained that he was alone and struggling with a math problem. Concerned that the boy was unsupervised late at night, the dispatcher kept him on the line while tracing his location and sent police to his home.
When officers arrived, they discovered Ryan was home alone since returning from school, with no adult present. Efforts to contact his mother, Matilda, failed as her phone was off. Sensing something was wrong, the police launched a search using the last known location of her phone. With help from a K9 unit, they found Matilda unconscious in her car on a remote road. She had fainted due to heat exhaustion and was unable to call for help.
