Child's call that sparked frantic hunt was hoax, police say
By Richard Allen Greene, CNN
July 31, 2012 -- Updated 1855 GMT (0255 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Police are speaking to two 10-year-old girls about the hoax, they say
- NEW: Police spent 30 hours on the case and set up a special hotline
- NEW: The detective in charge of the operation calls it "incredibly frustrating"
- The caller phoned for an ambulance and said her mother had collapsed
London (CNN) -- A call to police in England that sparked a frantic search for a 3-year-old girl who said her mother had collapsed was a hoax, police said after spending nearly 30 hours trying to trace the call.
Two 10-year-old girls were being questioned Tuesday, West Yorkshire police said after the urgent hunt in the city of Leeds.
Detective Chief Inspector Lisa Griffin, who led the search, called the incident "incredibly frustrating."
Earlier Tuesday, the police force had issued an appeal for help tracking down the child who called emergency services to say her mother had fallen down and was not moving.
She said she had shouted at her mother and shaken her, but she remained motionless on the kitchen floor with a piece of toast in her hand, police said in a release.
The girl said her name was Ellie. The call for an ambulance came at 10:53 Monday morning. Police announced just before 4:30 on Tuesday afternoon that the incident was a hoax.
The West Yorkshire force had put a team of officers on the case, set up a phone number for tips from the public and put out appeals on Twitter and through television interviews.
"We urgently need the public's help to identify exactly where Ellie and her mum are," Griffin had said in launching the appeal.
The hoax caller said her mother was named Stacey Hall but was able to give only part of her address -- the number 23 and that the street name had "Court" in it.
Police released the information, plus part of the audio recording of the 33-minute phone call, in hopes that someone would be able to identify her.
No phone number came up when the girl called emergency services, West Yorkshire police told CNN, leading them to believe that the call came from a prepaid cell phone.
Police: 'Forest Boy' story is a hoax
CNN's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
Part of complete coverage on
February 6, 2013 -- Updated 1526 GMT (2326 HKT)
Advocates say the exam includes unnecessarily invasive and irrelevant procedures -- like a so-called "two finger" test.
February 6, 2013 -- Updated 0009 GMT (0809 HKT)
Supplies of food, clothing and fuel are running short in Damascus and people are going hungry as the civil war drags on.
February 6, 2013 -- Updated 1801 GMT (0201 HKT)
Supporters of Richard III want a reconstruction of his head to bring a human aspect to a leader portrayed as a murderous villain.
February 5, 2013 -- Updated 1548 GMT (2348 HKT)
Robert Fowler spent 130 days held hostage by the same al Qaeda group that was behind the Algeria massacre. He shares his experience.
February 6, 2013 -- Updated 0507 GMT (1307 HKT)
As "We are the World" plays, a video shows what looks like a nuclear attack on the U.S. Jim Clancy reports on a bizarre video from North Korea.
The relationship is, once again, cold enough to make Obama's much-trumpeted "reset" in Russian-U.S. relations seem thoroughly off the rails.
Ten years on, what do you think the Iraq war has changed in you, and in your country? Send us your thoughts and experiences.
February 5, 2013 -- Updated 1215 GMT (2015 HKT)
Musician Daniela Mercury has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide over a career span of nearly 30 years.
Photojournalist Alison Wright travelled the world to capture its many faces in her latest book, "Face to Face: Portraits of the Human Spirit."
February 6, 2013 -- Updated 0006 GMT (0806 HKT)
Europol claims 380 soccer matches, including top level ones, were fixed - as the scandal widens, CNN's Dan Rivers looks at how it's done.
February 6, 2013 -- Updated 1237 GMT (2037 HKT)
That galaxy far, far away is apparently bigger than first thought. The "Star Wars" franchise will get two spinoff movies, Disney announced.
February 8, 2013 -- Updated 0718 GMT (1518 HKT)
It's an essential part of any trip, an activity we all take part in. Yet almost none of us are any good at it. Souvenir buying is too often an obligatory slog.
Today's five most popular stories