911 misdirection being investigated

SANTA FE (KRQE) - The 911 phone calls of lost hiker Megumi Yamamoto are now the focus of a growing investigation, Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano announced Wednesday.

Yamamoto made the calls hours before last week’s disastrous mountain rescue that ended with the death of Yamamoto and State Police Sgt. Andy Tingwall, who was piloting the helicopter that lifted the hiker from the mountains outside Santa Fe.

“There is a perception out there that she was unable to obtain help which is untrue,” Solano said in a news release.

Yamamoto, 26, called 911 after getting lost while hiking with her boyfriend last week.

For some reason, the call was routed to a non-emergency line at the Santa Fe County Emergency Communications Center.

“The Santa Fe 911 Center is programmed to attempt to triangulate a person’s location by using different cell phone towers in the area,” Solano said.

Because Yamamoto’s call was routed to a non-emergency line, the technology was unavailable. In a series of recorded phone calls, dispatchers are heard telling a frustrated
Yamamoto to hang up and call back, in an effort to get the call routed correctly.

“The dispatchers were trying desperately to get a triangulation by having the call come in on a 911 line,” Solano said.

Yamamoto was eventually routed to state police dispatchers, who coordinated the rescue attempt.

Independent of the tragic result, Solano said an investigation is necessary to figure out what went wrong with the 911 system the day Yamamoto called for help.

“The important thing is that all the while Ms. Yamamoto was in constant communication with someone trying to get her location and assistance,” Solano said.

The investigation could take several days to complete.