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911 Dispatcher Donna Reneau/Debra Stevens Drowning Incident Claim A meme contains accurate quotes of a conversation between 911 dispatcher Donna Reneau and Debra Stevens, who subsequently drowned in the circumstances of her 911 call. Rating Decontextualized Like this fact check? Reporting On September 1 2019, the following meme appeared in the Facebook group LIVE PD FANS NO BOUNDARIES ( archived here ), purportedly detailing an exchange between the woman shown in the photograph (911 dispatcher Donna Reneau) and a victim of flash flooding (Debra Stevens): The text over her head in the photo read: HELLO, I’M DONNA RENEAU, A 911 DISPATCHER. THIS IS WHAT I TOLD 47 YEAR OLD DEBRA STEVENS AS SHE DROWNED... Text at the bottom was slightly confusing to read, as who purportedly said which parts in the exchange was muddled into one large paragraph. In the transcribed comments below, we’ve marked what appear to be Reneau’s comments and what appear to be Stevens’ responses or questions: [Stevens] WILL YOU PRAY WITH ME? [Reneau] NO, YOU CAN PRAY AND I’LL LISTEN.. [Stevens] CAN I CALL MY MOM PLEASE SO I CAN TELL HER I LOVE HER? [Reneau] NO, YOU NEED TO STAY ON THE PHONE WITH ME. [Stevens] I’M SORRY MA’AM I’M SO SCARED!! [Reneau] WELL YOUR [sic] THE ONE WHO DROVE THRU THE WATER.. [Stevens] WHEN ARE THEY COMING TO HELP ME? [Reneau] WHENEVER THEY GET THERE. [Stevens] MA’AM, I THINK I’M GOING TO PUKE[.] [Reneau] WELL, GO AHEAD AND PUKE YOUR [sic] IN THE WATER. Florida is where wokes go to die... Please enable JavaScript Florida is where wokes go to die Although the meme featured an image, two names (Reneau and Stevens), and basic details, it lacked a date, location, or link to corroborating news stories. The same image was published by the Facebook page Fort Smith Police Department ( archived here ) on February 7 2019, identifying depicted dispatcher Donna Reneau as dispatcher of the year: https://www.facebook.com/FSPolice/photos/a.124606690892787/2273317979354970/?type=3&theater The source for the meme-based version of Reneau’s purported remarks appeared to be a since-deleted Facebook post shared publicly by user Laura Treat around August 31 2019: Originally, Treat wrote: DONNA RENEAU. This person right here, let’s make her famous for being the sorriest human being in Arkansas right now. Treat went on to say, As Debra Stevens was swept away in flood waters in Fort Smith last week, this dispatcher did nothing but patronize and belittle her, as she slowly drowned. Debra begged for her life and for this dispatcher to help her. Will you pray with me? No, you can pray and I’ll listen.. Can I call my mom please so I can tell her I love her? No, you need to stay on the phone with me. I’m so sorry ma’am I’m so scared!! Well your the one who drove thru the water.. When are they coming to help me? Whenever they get there. Ma,am, I think I’m going to puke, well, go ahead and puke your in the water. In the 911 recording that was released, you can hear Debra screaming at the end as she drowned.. Did this dispatcher never think to telI her to unbuckle her seat belt or try to open the door and get out as the water was up to her neck? I pray this dispatcher has fallen to her knees and asked God for forgiveness for her actions. EVERYONE SHARE THIS! On August 26 2019, a local news station reported on the death of Stevens in a flash flooding incident in Fort Smith, Arkansas and the subsequent release of dispatch calls. That early story did not describe the nature of the dispatch calls: Audio recordings between dispatchers and first responders during an effort to try to save a Fort Smith woman from a flash flood have been released. Debra Stevens died around 6 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 24) on Kinkead Avenue while delivering papers. According to the Fort Smith Police Department, the 911 call came in at 4:38 a.m. First respnders were dispatched at 4:40 a.m. The first crews on the scene arrived at 4:53 a.m., but were not close enough to reach Stevens’ because of high water. Due to high waters, it took more than an hour from Stevens’ 911 call for first responders to make direct contact with her. By the time they got to where her vehicle was, it was too late. Emergency crews tried to rescue Stevens but the water was too high and too fast. In that article, the outlet indicated that listeners were able to hear first responders trying to take multiple routes to rescue Stevens on the audio, but that was the extent of reporting on the contents of the recordings. Two days later, followup reporting on Stevens’ death included the following: Graphic Warning: This story and the accompanying audio and video are graphic in nature, and the content may be disturbing. Though it was a difficult decision, we have decided to broadcast and post the 911 call for help after concerns were raised as to how dispatchers and first responders handled the situation. An audio file was included in the article, but the comments were not transcribed. An August 30 2019 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article contained a partial transcript, with text that overlapped with some of the meme’s quotes: Reneau tried to determine Stevens’ exact location. She asked Stevens what she was seeing and what was around her. Stevens became more panicked, and said there were people in the apartment complex watching her but not helping as the water in her vehicle reached to her chest. I need to call and tell my Mommy bye because I don’t want to die, Stevens says. Please help me. Please help me. You’re not going to die. I don’t know why you’re freaking out, Reneau says. When are they going to get here? Stevens asks later. When they get there, Reneau replies. Will you pray with me? Stevens asks the dispatcher later in the call. You go ahead and start off the prayer, and I’ll listen, Reneau says. I sure will. I’m sorry if I’m being rude, I’m just scared, Stevens says. I’ve never had anything happen like this before. Well this will teach you next time don’t drive in the water, Reneau says. I don’t see how you didn’t see it. You had to go right over it, so. The phone call lasted 24 minutes, and Reneau worked to calm Stevens, saying her panic was only exacerbating an already tense situation. Although videos of the released portions of the call were readily available, consistent credible transcripts were not. Moreover, searches for the strings of quoted portions only returned similar informal posts or comments about the purported exchange between Stevens and Reneau. One video lasting 22 minutes and 30 seconds featured audio of the call without any imagery. Before the two-minute mark, Stevens began sobbing and stating she was scared, reporting that her vehicle was disabled and that the water was up to [her] neck. Stevens added she feared that her phone would stop working, and repeatedly expressed her fear of drowning. Reneau assured Stevens she would not die, and attempted to pinpoint the woman’s location. Stevens was unable to provide her exact location, having taken a route with which she was unfamiliar, and then Reneau said she did not have an officer available. Stevens said she would leave the vehicle if possible, and said that passersby were looking on but did not assist her. During that portion of the audio recording, Reneau repeatedly asked her to calm down, and said there was nothing [she could] do from the dispatch location. Stevens again said she did not want to die today, and Stevens calmly stated she would not let [her] die. As Stevens sobbed, Reneau conferred with other law enforcement personnel, informing the barely-audible other individual that Stevens was in a gray SUV and had water up to her chest. Stevens cried and lamented her predicament, and Reneau calmly told her that freaking out would exacerbate the situation. Stevens asked how long a response would take, and Reneau stated as long as it takes. Stevens expressed again a fear that her brand new phone would stop working, and Reneau responded that Stevens should not worry about her phone. (You’re over there crying for your life, who cares about your ‘brand new phone?') The portion about the brand new phone was somewhat confusing, with several portions of cross-talk between Stevens and Reneau. Stevens went back and forth between fear of the water, fear of her phone ceasing to work, and an urge to vomit because of her panic. That portion was the one in which Reneau told Stevens calmly to go ahead and vomit, since she was in water already. From that point on, portions aligned with the meme, but they did not represent the full context of the call. Based on its actual content, Reneau appears to be attempting to prevent Stevens from becoming engulfed in panic and further endangering herself while simultaneously working with other law enforcement personnel to find Stevens: [Stevens] Ma’am my phone’s gonna die ... I’m gonna vomit ... [Stevens] I need to throw up right now ... I’m gonna vomit, it’s gonna ruin my brand new phone. [Reneau] You’re over there crying for your life, who cares about your ‘brand new phone [Reneau] Well then ... you’re in water ... you can throw up, it’s not gonna matter, if you got throw up on yourself they’ll still gonna help you . [Stevens] No my car’s just gonna catch on fire. [Reneau] How if it’s under water? [Stevens] It’s [unintelligible] and I can’t turn it off? [Reneau] Your car is not gonna catch fire in water. [Stevens] It’s making awful funny noise and smoking ... [sobs] [Reneau] Just stay on the phone with me and I’ll get someone to you ... [Stevens] Can I put you on hold ... I need to call my mother in law so she knows I’m okay ... [Reneau] Okay well you’re not okay, so you can call your mother-in-law [after you are rescued] so no you cannot call her right now. [Stevens] I’m sorry can you pray with ... will you pray with me? [Reneau] (to someone else) In her vehicle (to Stevens) .. I’m here, I can still hear everything you’re saying to me. [Stevens] Will you pray with me please? [Reneau] You go ahead and start the prayer and I’ll listen to you, I sure will. [Stevens] [sobs, prays] My vehicle is ruined ... [Reneau] But it’s better your vehicle is ruined than you being swept away and nobody knows where you are so just – [Stevens] I’m going to be swept away [Reneau] No you’re not ... you have nowhere to be swept away to except the street that you’re on ... I’m looking, I’m looking at it right now and at the end of the street there’s some bushes so you’ll be just fine. It is worth noting that elements of the meme seemed to highlight portions such as the pray with me one above, in which Stevens is understandably panicking, and Reneau is understandably trying to both keep Stevens calm and connect with rescuers. Reneau does not decline to pray with Stevens, but says she will listen as she continues working with rescuers. Directly after that, the portion in which Reneau scolds Stevens occurs: [Stevens] Ma’am it’s getting all the way up to my chest ... [Reneau] I know the water’s up to your chest, just stay on the phone with me and I have an officer in the fire department coming out to you so just hold on, okay? [Stevens] Thank you ... I’m sorry if I’m rude ... I’m scared ... [Reneau] You’re not being rude, I know you’re scared, just calm down for me ... [crosstalk] [Reneau] Well this will teach you next time, don’t drive in the water ... I don’t see how you didn’t see it, you had to go right over it ... [Stevens] No ma’am ... I was in the parking lot, there was no water where I was at [Reneau] M’kay [Stevens] When I got to the end of the parking lot I was looking for the road ... It was too late, there was water ... I couldn’t see it [Reneau] The water just didn’t appear ... [Stevens] I didn’t see it fast enough, my headlight when out and I couldn’t see it [Reneau] M’kay ... it’s okay, we’ll get you help and we’ll get you out of there [Stevens] [unintelligible] [Reneau] You’re welcome [Stevens] [breathes, sobs] [Reneau] You’re not the only one who got stuck in the water ... [crosstalk] [Stevens] It’s scary ... it’s scary ’cause I can’t swim [Reneau] Even though you can’t swim I think you can still stand up in this, how tall are you? [Stevens] It’s higher than me [Reneau] I don’t think so [Stevens] I don’t know I’m only five foot [unintelligible] [Reneau] Well, you’re not three foot so you’re just fine [crosstalk] [Stevens] Will the cops go to my house [crosstalk, dispatch talk] [Reneau] They’re pullin’ someone else out of the water so just stay where you are [crosstalk] [Stevens] I’m just prayin’ ... will they take me back to my house, ma’am ... Ma’am? [sobbing] [Reneau] Ten-four [repeatedly], [crosstalk] [sobbing] [Reneau] Okay, just stay on the phone with me, I know that you’re scared so just stay on the phone with me. [Stevens] Will they take me back to my house? [Reneau] I don’t know what they’ll do. [crosstalk] After a few more exchanges, Stevens asks how much longer the rescue will take. Reneau reiterates that she cannot estimate the time of response due to the other people also stranded. Stevens becomes agitated, warning that she will soon be unable to talk to dispatch, and adds that bystanders are not helping her: [Reneau] Until they get there I cannot give you a time ... [Stevens] Oh my god, what time is it now? [sobs, unintelligible] [Stevens] They’re watching me sit here, that’s pretty rude ... [Reneau] A lot of people have called in on you so don’t think that nobody’s just sitting there [crosstalk] [Reneau] They’re not gonna get [themselves] in danger because you put yourself in danger. [crosstalk] [Stevens] I’m just scared ... [Reneau] I know you’re scared. [crosstalk] [Stevens] What’s your name? [Reneau] Donna. [Stevens] Thank you for being there, Miss Donna ... when it rains again I ain’t never doin’ this. [Reneau] That sounds like a good idea ... [Stevens] I’ve done papers for 21 years and I’ve never had it like this. [Reneau] Yeah, I think that’s understandable though ... hold on for me, okay? Stevens once again says she’s gonna die and Reneau says she isn’t; Stevens says she needs to urinate as Reneau relates the situation to someone else. Reneau says 5801 Kincaid is all she’s got, suggesting that Stevens’ location is still unclear. Reneau asks if Stevens can see an officer, and Stevens says she can’t see nobody. Reneau asks if she can hear the fire trucks, and Stevens says she can only hear rushing water. Reneau requests Stevens remain quiet to listen for rescuers, and Stevens says she can only hear rushing water. Reneau tells someone else (not on the call) that she cannot hear the apparatus either. Stevens reiterates her general location. Repeatedly, Reneau asks Stevens to hold on for [her]. Reneau continues reassuring Stevens that she will not die, while making stronger efforts to help rescuers locate her: [Stevens] The back side of these apartments over here with these people, they can all see me [unintelligible] [Reneau] (Sighs.) Miss Debbie, you’re gonna have to shut up ... listen to me ... [Stevens] Yes ma’am. [Reneau] Can you start your ... can you start your um ... is your car still on there, can you honk your horn? [Stevens] My horn is dead. My horn is dead! ... everything is dead. [Reneau] Listen to me, hold on ... who, fire? Are they really? [Stevens] It’s even higher ... all the way up to my doors! [Reneau] Hold on for me, don’t hang up. [silence] [Stevens] Ma’am please! [Reneau] Hold on for me! Hold on! [Stevens] Oh my god. [silence, break] [Stevens] It’s getting higher and higher and I’m scared ... oh my god ... [sobs] [Reneau] They’re trying to come to you ... the whole parking lot is flooded, they’re trying to find you so hold on for me. [crosstalk] [Reneau] Okay listen to me ... I know, I’m trying to get you help as I can. Hold on for me [crosstalk] hold on for me ’cause I gotta take other calls plus you. [Stevens] (Praying.) Dear Lord, please! At the end of the call, Stevens further begins to panic. Reneau sounds audibly shaken as the connection deteriorates: [Reneau] Okay, listen to me! They are in the area, they are trying to find you ... they cannot find you right now ... I’m trying to ping where you are so do not hang up because this 911 call is helping me ping your location so don’t ... don’t hang up on me [unintelligible] Okay, where are you moving to? Tell me where it’s going. [unintelligible screams] Okay, tell me where you are. [unintelligible screams] Listen to me! Hold on! [unintelligible screams] I’m on the phone with her right now, she is legit freaking out, she says the vehicle is now moving in the water and she doesn’t know which way it’s going, stand by. [unintelligible screams] Okay, is the water up to your neck? Yes! At that point, audio of the call concludes. By the end of August 2019, memes about the call between Stevens and Reneau began circulating, many of which were outraged at what appeared to be Reneau’s callousness. Here is the text of the meme in contrast with the actual transcript: [Stevens] WILL YOU PRAY WITH ME? [Reneau] NO, YOU CAN PRAY AND I’LL LISTEN.. [Stevens] CAN I CALL MY MOM PLEASE SO I CAN TELL HER I LOVE HER? [Reneau] NO, YOU NEED TO STAY ON THE PHONE WITH ME. [Stevens] I’M SORRY MA’AM I’M SO SCARED!! [Reneau] WELL YOUR [sic] THE ONE WHO DROVE THRU THE WATER.. [Stevens] WHEN ARE THEY COMING TO HELP ME? [Reneau] WHENEVER THEY GET THERE. [Stevens] MA’AM, I THINK I’M GOING TO PUKE[.] [Reneau] WELL, GO AHEAD AND PUKE YOUR [sic] IN THE WATER. Nearly all of the comments in the original post by Laura Treat (and later the Live PD page meme) were inaccurate paraphrases distilled down to the most outrage-inducing portions of the call. As the call made national news , Fort Smith police addressed the viral outrage: Fort Smith police said in a statement that the recording of the call was released with great reluctance after requests from the media. The recording contains the audio of a dying person’s last moments as well as the interaction between her and the 911 operator, the statement said. And while the operator’s response to this extremely tense and dynamic event sounds calloused and uncaring at times, sincere efforts were being made to locate and save Mrs. Stevens. Previously, the dispatcher had been recognized by the police department for her service. Another motorist stranded in the same floodwaters in Fort Smith survived , and told a media outlet she felt misled by promises of rescue. On September 2 2019, Fort Smith Interim Police Chief Danny Baker issued a statement about the viral call: I am heartbroken for this tragic loss of life, and my prayers are with Debra’s family and friends. All of our first responders who attempted to save Mrs. Stevens are distraught over the outcome. For every one of us, saving lives is at the very core of who we are and why we do what we do. When we are unsuccessful, it hurts. In a since-deleted August 31 2019 Facebook post, Baker defended Reneau despite growing national outrage: Baker in his post said blaming Reneau for the entire incident would have been easy and would have been the best thing for him to do politically. But I’m not a politician. I am just a simple man who, through circumstances I believe are God-made, find myself in a position of leadership that I question daily whether I am fully equipped for, Baker said, adding that everyone at the Police Department knew the gravity of the situation. There was a collective ‘Oh my God’ from the department. I knew someone was going to have to advocate for them. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The easy thing to do would be for me to cast stones at the dispatcher as well, he continued. From what I can tell, that has been my ‘sin’ in this: that I didn’t publicly denounce the dispatcher as an evil person deserving of death. However, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson condemned the dispatcher’s actions: Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he has listened to the 9-1-1 call. The call was unacceptable. Everybody who listens to that or reads the transcript of it recognizes they want to have someone on the 9-1-1 operator side who has compassion, who is clear-headed, and particularly under those dire circumstances... this is something she is going to have to live with, Hutchinson said. In that same article, Reneau disclosed that she resigned just before the day she took that call for a different job. Reneau told the interviewer that third-shift dispatchers are poorly supported and lack the necessary tools to handle many callers’ situations. She also proposed a distress break for dispatchers who fielded calls such as the one just prior to Stevens’ death. As of September 4 2019, an internal investigation of Stevens’ death and the way the call was handled was reportedly underway. A since-deleted Facebook post by Laura Treat about a 911 call between Donna Reneau (dispatcher) and Debra Stevens (flood victim) led to viral memes about Stevens’ final words before perishing in flash flooding. Much of the meme appeared to paraphrase Reneau’s comments, placing the most upsetting portions of a nearly half-hour long call out of context. Throughout the call, Reneau attempted to keep a panicked Stevens from becoming further agitated. Stevens, who became overcome by flood waters at some point between 4 and 5 in the morning, was unable to exit her vehicle and unable to describe the location of her car. During several portions of the call, Reneau was clearly attempting to coordinate ground rescue for Stevens, while simultaneously trying to ensure Stevens stayed on the line to ping her location in a futile attempt to locate her. (Stevens’ body was recovered 58 minutes after the call.) Although Reneau did admonish Stevens for driving into the floodwaters, parts about her brand new phone in context seemed to be an attempt to focus Stevens on the rescue attempt. The incident was highly stressful, and Reneau carried out two separate conversations for much of the call. Reneau did not, as the meme suggested, flatly refuse to comfort Stevens when Stevens asked her to pray; Reneau in fact said: You go ahead and start the prayer and I’ll listen to you, I sure will. Reneau both acknowledged the request and politely explained she was too busy coordinating Stevens’ rescue to begin praying. As for Reneau declining Stevens’ request to contact her mother or mother-in-law, Stevens later said the service was using location services to attempt to locate Stevens; had she ended the call, emergency services would likely have been unable to locate her. For additional context, Reneau had resigned just before taking the call for anther job, citing poor infrastructure and support among her reasons for leaving her position. News organizations tended to place the most upsetting exchanges in headlines. For the majority of the call, a calm Reneau attempted to ensure Stevens both stayed calm and (in spite of Stevens’ requests to make calls) stay on the line. It is worth noting that a stated goal of disinformation and propaganda is a coordinated attempt to shake and weaken faith and trust in democratic institutions as an excuse to further dismantle or privatize those very institutions. Emergency services — usually employed during chaotic and distressing situations in which emotions are running high — is certainly one of those institutions, and this meme is calculated for maximum outrage. Posted in Fact Checks , Viral Content Tagged 911 call , arkansas , debra stevens , decontextualized , donna reneau , make them famous , out of context , outrage porn , viral , viral facebook posts
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