A little girl called 911 crying: “Daddy’s snake is so big it hurts!”… When the police arrived at the house, they discovered a truth so dark that no one in the neighborhood ever looked at that house the same way again.
—911, what is your emergency?
Claire Johnson had been answering calls at the Springfield, Illinois, emergency center for ten years. She’d heard it all: accidents, robberies, fires, family arguments. But that night, something in the voice she heard on the other end of the line chilled her to the bone.
She was a girl.
Small.
Her voice was broken by crying.
“Daddy’s… my snake…” she sobbed, “is so big… it hurts so much…”
Claire remained motionless for a second.
Her mind tried to understand the words literally. Maybe an animal. Some families kept snakes as pets. A python, perhaps.
But something didn’t add up.
The girl’s tone was not one of surprise.
It was scary.
A deep fear.
Claire immediately changed her tone.
—Honey, what’s your name?
Silence.
A creaking sound was heard at the back of the house.
Then the girl whispered:
—Emily…
—Emily, are you alone now?
The girl’s breathing became faster.
—No… he’s at home…
Claire felt her heart pounding in her chest.
—Emily, I want you to listen to me very carefully— she said in the softest voice she could muster. —Can you tell me where you are?
Footsteps were heard.
A door.
The girl began to whisper faster.
—My dad said not to talk to anyone… but it hurts… it hurts a lot…
Claire typed in the address that appeared on her screen.
1427 Maplewood Drive.
Without wasting a second, he sent the alert.
The nearest patrols responded immediately.
Officer Daniel Harris and his partner, Maria Lopez.
