Doesn't matter. Law enforcement could still trace the call.
Looks like they did, judging by the news out of Colorado. But they had no reason to suspect at that time it was a hoax. I can’t fault them for it.
I have viewed this case with askance since I first heard it. I was snookered by the ‘authorities’ claims in 1993 about a ‘cult’ on Mt Carmel. It won’t happen again. The State has to prove its case; the ‘cult’ doesn’t have to prove it’s innocence. And so far the State is coming up short.