Woman Swallows Cell Phone

Status: Partially true
Yahoo News! has posted this odd story about a woman who, in a fit of rage, swallowed an entire cellphone:

A lovers' dispute over a cell phone ended suddenly when the woman swallowed the phone whole, police said. Police said they received a call at 4:52 a.m. Friday from a Blue Springs man who said his girlfriend was having trouble breathing. When they arrived at the house they found the 24-year-old woman had a cell phone lodged in her throat. "He wanted the phone and she wouldn't give it to him, so she attempted to swallow it," Detective Sgt. Steve Decker of the Blue Springs Police Department. "She just put the entire phone in her mouth so he couldn't get it."

I'm not the only one to whom this sounds like an urban legend being reported as news. Real Tech News wonders "what kind of phone it was since I can think of plenty that won’t fit into your mouth that easily." Seriously, it would have to be an incredibly small phone to fit down someone's throat, though I suppose there are people with the ability to swallow large, rigid objects. In the past they might have enjoyed careers as circus performers. This case reminds me of the story I posted about over a year ago of a dog who swallowed a cell phone.
Update: Looks like the woman may have involuntarily swallowed the phone. In other words, it's a case of assault. It didn't seem like the kind of thing that someone would voluntarily swallow.

Food Technology

Posted on Mon Dec 26, 2005



Comments

"In the past they might have enjoyed careers as circus performers."

Or, erm, working girls. :lol:
Posted by J  on  Mon Dec 26, 2005  at  12:37 PM
Maybe it was one of those deals that fits in your ear? I know that's not generally the whole phone, but maybe it's what they meant.
Posted by Big Gary in Fairbanks, Alaska  on  Mon Dec 26, 2005  at  12:38 PM
It was also reported on the BBCs website which gives it an air of credibility.

I'll resist the temptation to make a joke about what else she can fit in her mouth.
Posted by Andrew Nixon  on  Mon Dec 26, 2005  at  01:23 PM
I should have said large, rigid, and metallic to make it more clear why her swallowing ability seems so out of the ordinary. 😊
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Mon Dec 26, 2005  at  02:17 PM
An update on the story:

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2005/12/26/swallowing_cell_phone_may_not_be_voluntary/
Posted by katey  on  Mon Dec 26, 2005  at  04:18 PM
Swallowing cell phone may not be voluntary

December 26, 2005

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. --A woman who police thought deliberately tried to swallow her cell phone during an argument with her boyfriend was apparently the victim of an assault instead, authorities said.

Police have a suspect in the bizarre incident that sent the 24-year-old woman to the hospital last week, Sgt. Allen Kintz said. Police would not say whether the boyfriend was the suspect and would not explain exactly what they believe happened.

"It appears she didn't voluntarily swallow this phone," Kintz said. "It's not quite the way it was first portrayed."

Early Friday, police responded to a call from a Blue Springs man who said his girlfriend was having trouble breathing. Police arrived to find a woman with a cell phone lodged in her throat.

Police were initially told the boyfriend wanted the phone and the woman tried to swallow it so that he could not get it.
Posted by katey  on  Mon Dec 26, 2005  at  04:22 PM
The story was reported in the Joplin Globe 2 days (I think, or maybe it was 3 days) BEFORE it ever appeared on the internet. It was a front-page story in our little news rag...
Posted by Christopher in Joplin, Missouri  on  Tue Dec 27, 2005  at  05:26 AM
This actually hapened to me back in the Eighties, except my big mouth girl friend swallowed a pay phone. I had to follow her around for three days just to get the phone back. Plus, SHE WAS CALLING COLLECT. Oy, vey.
Posted by booch  on  Tue Dec 27, 2005  at  10:59 AM
"Police said they received a call at 4:52 a.m. Friday"
How exactly did he dial the phone?
Posted by Silentz  on  Tue Dec 27, 2005  at  12:38 PM
There's a reason the police don't want to comment on what they think really happened, apart from not being able to keep their faces straight, I suspect.

On the other hand, there *are* some really tiny phones around, like this Panasonic model that you could conceivably shove in someone's throat if you were determined enough. There's pic of it in Popgadget's October archives (I think) with a US quarter for comparison.
Posted by Nightbringer  on  Tue Dec 27, 2005  at  08:13 PM
Ever see Zoolander? Hellooo?
..it could happen.
Posted by Icekween  on  Wed Dec 28, 2005  at  05:40 AM
The phone apparently wasn't actually fully swallowed, so it wouldn't really have to be small enough to pass through her throat. Just small enough to fit in her mouth and get stuck in the opening of her throat. I've seen plenty of cell phones small enough for that, since they wouldn't really have to be all that small.
Posted by Accipiter  on  Thu Dec 29, 2005  at  02:06 AM
For all of you people that think it is funny. It isnt I personally knew the girl and does not think this is a thing people should be saying stupid stuff about it. If everyone knew really what really happen then you would understand and for the person that said it wasnt actually fully swallowed yeah actually it was.
Posted by natalie  on  Tue Jan 24, 2006  at  05:14 PM
You guys are a bunch of idiots. If only you guys knew really what was going on. And no why would some1 be stupid enough to do that? Def not her because personally i knew her and i knew the type of relationship that she had had with him so all you guys just need to shut up about saying all the stupid little comments maybe if you would know the person you would know that she would not be stupid enough to do it herself.
Posted by natalie  on  Fri Feb 02, 2007  at  07:29 PM
She was smart enough to go out with a guy that would "force" her to swallow *laugh*
Posted by whatever  on  Fri Aug 03, 2007  at  05:27 PM
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