Officials baffled by mystery 911 call

Law enforcement officials remain perplexed nearly 24 hours after receiving a frantic 911 phone call from the Heritage Lake Clubhouse Friday.

Officials continue to search for an unidentified female, who frantically explained to Putnam County 911 dispatchers Friday afternoon that a man attempted to run her over in her car.

Putnam County Sheriff Mark Frisbie told the BannerGraphic Friday that at 12:31 p.m., dispatchers received a phone call from a hysterical woman, who sounded out of breath.

The female was so distraught, the dispatcher had a hard time understanding her and asked the female to "calm down."

"He's in my car and he tried to run over me. He's in my car," the unidentified female told the dispatcher between breaths.

"He's in your car and tried to run over you," the dispatcher asked.

"Yeah," the female exclaimed.

The dispatcher asked the unidentified female where she was calling from. The female said she was at Heritage Lake. The female then confirmed she was at the clubhouse.

Just when the female was starting to calm down, she exclaimed with fear in her voice that he was coming toward her.

As the dispatcher attempted to confirm the unidentified female's statement, the line went dead.

Frisbie said that deputies responded to the clubhouse and found the phone dangling off the cradle, but there was nothing to indicate an assault took place. He also said they canvassed the area and went door-to-door to see if anybody had witnessed the altercation.

Officials are unsure if the phone call was a hoax or not. Frisbie said if it were a hoax, the information would be clear and decisive. But Frisbie said the call could very well be a hoax.

According to Frisbie, the clubhouse is situated near a few houses, while facing the lake on one side and the woods on the other. During the phone call, the clubhouse, which is home to the Heritage Lake Property Owner's Association, was closed for lunch.

Frisbie said the unidentified female had to be either a resident of Heritage Lake or someone who knows the area. Not many people would know where the clubhouse is if they do not live around the lake, he said.

Several of the homes around Heritage Lake are also weekend homes for families from the surrounding counties. Frisbie said the unidentified female could also be somebody who does not live in the area on a year-round basis.

Because the female on the tape sounded like a young woman, officials contacted North Putnam High School to verify that all students were accounted for, to which the school responded yes.

Frisbie said he had sent the dispatch tape to four Indianapolis television stations with hope that somebody might recognize the female's voice and notify the department. He told the BannerGraphic that dispatch had received several phone calls after the 5 o'clock news and the sheriff's department was chasing down every lead.

According to Frisbie, the deputies, along with Putnam County Family Support Services, are investigating all past domestic issues around the lake area, searching for more leads.

"I have never felt this helpless before. I have never seen a case where we didn't have something to work with," Frisbie said.

"But we are not going to leave any stone unturned," Frisbie added.

Frisbie is asking if anyone has information regarding to the unidentified female or the altercation to contact the Putnam County Dispatch Center at 653-5115.