Analysis of Father’s 911 To Report Kidnapping

An analysis of a Tucson (Ariz.) father’s 911 to police shows that his 6 year-old daughter was not kidnapped, according to a Web blogger, but the analysis falls short of concluding what really happened to the girl. Isabel Celis disappeared from her room during the night of April 21st, and her father Sergio dialed 911 about 8:48 a.m. the next morning. “I need to report a, uh, missing child,” Celis told the calltaker. At one point Celis appears to laugh or chuckle, and throughout his demeanor is calm and detached. The father’s 911 call has generated public debate about the fate of the girl, and even speculation the father is involved in his disappearance. On a Web site devoted to the practice of “statement analysis,” blogger Seamus O’Riley looked at the words that Celis uses in reporting his missing daughter, and also outlined how 911 calls in general can be analyzed. For example, he says repeated use of the word “and” indicates missing connective information, and the word “just” should be used when comparing two or more thoughts. Read the statement analysis of Celis’ 911 call here (transcript, pdf), and O’Riley’s conclusion that the incident was not an abduction here. Also ready O’Riley’s remarks on caller emotions during 911 calls here.