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Tragic twist in 'suffocation' death of schoolboy trapped under car seat

The parents of a 16-year-old boy who became trapped under a minivan’s bench-seat and died in a school car park are demanding answers, as details emerge about his desperate 911 call.

Teenager Kyle Plush called police on April 10 and told the operator he was stuck in his van in his high school parking lot in Cincinnati and warned he would die unless he was found soon.

Trapped and unable to reach his phone, it's now been revealed the teenager used Siri, Apple’s voice command system, to make the calls to police, an internal review found.

"Help! I'm stuck in my van... I need help!" Kyle can be heard saying in the first of two phone calls made at 3.14pm local time.

Kyle Plush was found dead in the backseat of a Honda Odyssey minivan near the Seven Hills school campus in Cincinnati. Source: AP
Kyle Plush was found dead in the backseat of a Honda Odyssey minivan near the Seven Hills school campus in Cincinnati. Source: AP
A review found that the 16-year-old used Siri to phone police. Source: Cincinnati Police
A review found that the 16-year-old used Siri to phone police. Source: Cincinnati Police

An operator repeatedly sought out more information but the teen could not hear the dispatcher and wasn’t able to answer the operator’s questions as the phone was not next to him.

Twenty minutes later, Kyle managed to call 911 again and offer more precise information about the location of the van.

"I'm trapped inside my gold Honda Odyssey van in the ... parking lot of Seven Hills," Kyle told 911, referring to his high school.

“I probably don't have much time left. Tell my mum I love her if I die. This is not a joke,"

But according to Cincinnati ABC, the information from the second 911 call was never relayed to police on the scene.

An internal review into Kyle's death has been launched. Source: AP
An internal review into Kyle's death has been launched. Source: AP

Plush was found hours later unresponsive in the van by family.

Ron and Jill Plush said in a statement on Friday night that Kyle Plush, a sophomore at a Cincinnati private school, “embraced life with a passion far beyond his years.”

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said the teen was "trapped in the third row bench seat, and died from “asphyxia due to chest compression."

They are now seeking answers as to why he wasn't found earlier.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Kyle was reaching to get his tennis gear when he was pinned by the third-row seat.

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac told reporters something involving the second call went 'terribly wrong'. Source: AP
Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac told reporters something involving the second call went 'terribly wrong'. Source: AP

Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac told reporters something involving the second call had gone "terribly wrong" because the operator did not respond to Plush or pass on the information to police.

That operator was placed on administrative leave but is expected to return to work on Wednesday (local time).

Honda spokesman Chris Martin said the company does not have any specific information from which to definitively determine what occurred in this incident.

“We can confirm that there were no seat-related recalls affecting the 2004 Honda Odyssey,” Mr Martin said.

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