Police in Danvers, Mass., received a distress call from a family of four, who had become disoriented in a local corn maze. Among the family members was a 3-week-old baby, who was apparently on his first trip out of the house. The family became lost in the seven acre Connors Farm maze at dusk on Monday, and dialed 911 for help.
“I’m really scared, it’s really dark, and we’ve got a 3-week-old baby with us”, the mother told the 911 dispatcher. After being assured that help was on the way, the woman told the operator, “we thought this would be fun. Instead it’s a nightmare. I don’t know what made us do this. It was daytime when we came in, and I never take my daughter out. This is the first time; never again.”
According to the Danvers Herald, police and a canine unit were dispatched and were able to locate the family within several minutes of entering the cornfield. The family had almost made their way out, and apparently did not realize that they were less than 25 feet from the road. The family was uninjured.
Owner Bob Connors told msnbc.com that it can take up to an hour for customers to navigate the maze of 9-foot tall corn stalks shaped like the headless horseman. “There is no wire or fence around the maze, so if they really want or need to get out, all they have to do is listen for traffic. They can always make their way through the corn rows to the road”, Connors told the Danvers Herald.
Farm manager Rich Potter blames the predicament on the family’s 5-year-old son, saying that he “was getting upset and they didn’t want to have to go through the rest of the maze to get to the end”, according to WCBV Boston. The maze has been a local tourist attraction for the past five years, and also provides maps, as well as signs to help patrons along the way.