Boy Calls 911 to Ask For Help with Math, Cops Soon Realize He Needs Real Help – Story of the Day

Eight-year-old Ryan Crosby, struggling with math homework, called 911 for help, as his mother, Matilda, had taught him to seek assistance without fear. The operator, initially skeptical, learned Ryan was home alone at 10 p.m. and dispatched police to his Madison address. Officers found Ryan alone, his mother’s phone off, and the house empty since he returned from school. Tracing Matilda’s last phone signal to a deserted mill outskirts,

police, aided by a K9 unit, located her unconscious in her car from heat-induced fainting. She was rushed to the hospital, where she recovered. Matilda had taken a shortcut while visiting her sister and passed out, her phone dead. Ryan’s 911 call, though for homework, saved her life. Reunited, Matilda praised Ryan’s bravery, reinforcing the importance of teaching kids to use 911. The incident inspired others to educate their children similarly.