Two Minors Involved in Suicide Hotline Hoax
Billerica — On Saturday, April 04, 2015 at approximately 4:15 PM, Billerica Police received a report from a National Suicide Hotline representative that they just received a call from an individual claiming to be a distraught military veteran from Billerica, Massachusetts that was contemplating ending their life with a firearm. After attempting to get the individual to talk further, communication was lost and attempts to reestablish contact were unsuccessful. At that time Billerica Police were contacted by the hotline detailing the statements made by the caller. Using investigative tools, police were able to confirm the caller to be in the area of Old Rangeway Road in Billerica. As police responded to the scene, officers observed two individual in the area of a residence on Old Rangeway Road. Upon seeing a police response, the two individuals immediately fled into a wooded area towards Route 3. Due to the serious nature of the threats and the inability of police to establish phone contact with the individual that made the call to the suicide hotline, assistance was requested from the Northeast Municipal Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) special operations unit. In addition, a Massachusetts State Police helicopter was requested to the scene to assist with locating the individuals previously observed fleeing the scene into the heavily wooded terrain. Shortly after the arrival of special operations resources, the two individuals were located coming out of the woods on Chelmsford Road. A short investigation revealed that at least one of these individuals had called the National Suicide Hotline as a hoax and they were not in distress nor did they have access to firearms. The two individuals are not being named as they are both juveniles. At this time potential charges for making the hoax call are being discussed.
Any additional questions should be directed to Deputy Chief Roy Frost, 978-215-9653 or by email at rfrost [@] billericapolice.org