The 911 dispatch transcript from Wednesday's shooting death of a 19-month-old girl shows a progression of comments between the victim's father and operator that included an apparently frenetic man describing his wife as stationary, John Busch telling the responder he feared repeating over the phone where he had hid the gun, and then the longtime local saying he had not heard any shots while in a grooming trailer on the property.
It's the same transcript that documents Cheryl L. Busch, the victim's mother, minutes later getting on the phone and telling the responder she had killed her daughter, according to the document requested by the Free Lance and released Monday.
Busch has pleaded not guilty to homicide and other related charges for the suspected shooting death Wednesday of her 19-month-old daughter Donna Busch at their property in the 2300 block of Shore Road.
The first call came in from John Busch at 9:40 a.m., as the operator noted in the transcript he "thinks (his) wife shot child" for the first entry on the log released by the sheriff's office.
Busch then told the operator his wife was "in a grooming trailer on the property," the victim had remained in the playpen and that he had taken the firearm from her. Investigators later found a .357 Magnum used to kill the toddler.
The transcript notes that nearly a minute later, Cheryl Busch joined her husband on the porch.
The document reads: "Wife is just staring at male ... not doing anything."
And from there: "Male said he hid the gun but won't tell me where so the wife doesn't hear."
At that point, John Busch told the operator he had been "in the grooming trailer and didn't hear any shots," according to the transcript.
"RP (reporting party) said wife told him that she shot the daughter but RP says he can't think clearly," the transcript reads.
There are additional notations from the conversation - for use by arriving law enforcement personnel - such as the house being yellow, details on the wife's clothing (plaid blue coat and black sweats) and the fact that no other kids were around, according to the transcript, which then notes how Cheryl Busch had gone back to the grooming trailer.
About 40 seconds later, John Busch again told the operator he could not repeat the gun's location and that his wife had returned to the porch, the transcript reads.
The document indicates that Cheryl Busch had refused to talk to the responder at first and that John Busch followed by saying his wife had "handed him a note that said don't talk to anyone until you talk to an attorney."
After the husband explained to the operator how it had appeared his daughter was not breathing, Cheryl Busch picked up the phone.
The transcript reads: "Cheryl on the phone now. Won't talk to me."
The document notes that 10 seconds later, Busch told the dispatcher her daughter is dead, according to the document. The transcript notes: "Cheryl said she killed her daughter."
Cheryl Busch's attorney, public defender Greg LaForge, responded Monday to the transcript by telling the Free Lance he had just been appointed and lacked time to fully examine details because he's also working on another homicide case. He could not be reached today before publication.
Kollin Kosmicki Kollin Kosmicki is editor of the Free Lance and Pinnacle. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 337 or editor@freelancenews.com.
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