Callers along the Willamette River in Portland (Ore.) heard yelling and voices and dialed 911 for help, but it took almost 40 minutes for water rescue craft to be launched to search for two children thrown from a bridge by their mother. Amanda Jo Stott-Smith, 31, is under arrest for the death of her 4 year-old son, and the attempted murder of her 7 year-old daughter. Police believe the incident is related to a custody battle with her ex-husband. Dispatchers at the Office of Emergency Communications first classified the 1:19 a.m. incident as a “disturbance” and didn’t consider it involved anyone in the river, officials say. Only after police arrived and couldn’t locate the yelling did they request a fire department boat response, which took another 20 minutes. A houseboater located the children around 2 a.m. and brought the two children to shore. Read more about the question of a river response here.
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