CINCINNATI, Ohio -- When a 16-year-old in suburban Cincinnati posted a message on MySpace.com last week saying he planned to kill himself, a friend in Texas called police to ask for help. Cincinnati Police Detective Dave Ausdenmoore immediately contacted the teenager's Internet service provider, Time Warner Cable Inc., to track down his home address. But instead of acting quickly on the request, Ausdenmoore says the cable company refused to comply without a written request.
The youth posted the message shortly before noon. Police found him dead in his home shortly after 2 p.m. An autopsy showed lethal levels of carbon monoxide in his blood. Ausdenmoore says it took Time Warner about 45 minutes or longer after his initial call to provide the teen's information. Police say the company's actions may have wasted precious seconds that might have prevented the suicide. The cable company says it only took 11 minutes to relay the information, and says its policies help protect customers from identity theft.
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