Rickey Spivey Towner suffered a heart attack at his Coachella Valley home in September 2023, but a two‑minute delay in connecting his stepdaughter’s 911 call to a dispatcher may have been fatal. Police logs obtained by NBC Bay Area indicate the malfunction stemmed from the Next Generation 911 equipment installed by the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.

Two‑minute gap in Desert Hot Springs 911 call

When Megan Conner dialed 911 after finding Towner unconscious, the call‑processing unit supplied by NGA 911 failed to route the call, leaving her on hold for more than two minutes before a dispatcher could respond.. The delay, documented in police records, aligns with the equipment’s known connectivity issues.

State‑approved NGA 911 system at the center of failure

California’s Department of Public Safety approved the NGA 911 platform as part of the statewide Next Generation 911 rollout, and the Desert Hot Springs Police Department deployed it in 2023. According to the newly obtained records , the same hardware that stalled Towner’s emergency call has been cited in other technical glitces across the state.

Next Generation 911 rollout now exceeds $450 million

The ambitious upgrade, intended to modernise emergency communications, has ballooned to a price tag over $450 million, prompting scrutiny from lawmakers over cost overruns, delays and recurring technical faults. As reported by NBC Bay Area, the Towner case adds a human toll to the mounting criticism.

Who knows why the call failed? Open questions remain

Investigators have not yet confirmed whether the equipment malfunction directly caused Towner’s death, and the state has not released a formal analysis of the incident.. Additionally, it is unclear if the Desert Hot Springs Police Department received any prior warnings about the system’s reliability.

Family left in the dark until media inquiry

The Towner family only learned of the equipment failure after NBC Bay Area contacted them, highlighting a communication gap between emergency services and affected citizens . As the first documented fatality potentially linked to the upgrade, the case may prompt a deeper audit of the NG911 infrastructure.