What was once a terrible missing person case turned into a possible setup really soon. According to AL.com, Carlethia “Carlee” Russell first vanished in Alabama on July 13. Authorities claim that the nurse called 911 after allegedly spotting a child alone by the side of the road.
Carlee dialed 911 and then called her brother’s fiancée to let her know what was going on. Talitha Russell, the nurse’s mother, said, “My son’s girlfriend overheard her [Carlee] asking the kid, ‘Are you OK? Then, she heard our kid scream, but she had never heard the kid speak.” Carlee was unable to be seen when officials arrived, so they immediately opened a missing person inquiry.
The case received widespread attention once the Hoover Police Department started informing the public about Carlee’s disappearance. It was covered by local news outlets in addition to being the only topic of conversation on social media. Carlee’s safe and secure return home was prayed for and longed for.
Carlee magically appeared at her parents’ house in just 48 hours, according to People. Carlee was brought to the hospital for evaluation after authorities were called to the house, according to AL.com. She was freed and went back to her parent’s house. But the issue still stands: What happened during her 48-hour disappearance? Surprisingly, Carlee’s story contains contradictions that have led some people to believe that this entire situation may have been a setup.
According to ABC 3340, Hoover police chief Nick Deriz gave an update on Russell’s search history in the days before her suspected abduction during a press conference on July 19. Deriz revealed that Russell had searched on July 11: “You have to pay for an amber alert or search.”
She also looked at one-way bus tickets with a July 13 departure from Birmingham to Nashville, which is the day she vanished. Russell also looked up “Taken” on July 12, a movie about a young woman being abducted, according to Deriz.
These searches undoubtedly threw Russell’s assertions into question, and many people are outraged that this whole thing might be fake.
Social media has been used by those who read or shared Russell’s story to express their opinions on the most current findings. “So Carlee Russell lied about being kidnapped?” a Twitter user remarked.
It is unfortunate to learn that there are still 13,000 black women who should be found in the United States but have received little to no attention and require assistance. If Russell had been lying, those resources could have been used to locate further missing people, which outraged many online users.
Apart from Carlee Russell’s search history, a number of additional elements have sparked doubts that this really was a case of a missing person. Russell reportedly got out of her car at first when she noticed a young child strolling alongside the road, according to FOX5 Atlanta.
The claimed youngster in the case has not been found, according to an ABC News report on Hoover Police. “The Hoover Police Department has not located any evidence of a toddler walking down the interstate, nor did we receive any additional calls about a toddler walking down the interstate,” the statement read.
“Despite numerous vehicles passing through that area as depicted by the traffic camera surveillance video. Although the CCTV footage is a little blurry, it is evident that multiple cars were going by and that they should have seen the child as well.”
Additionally, police said they did not receive any further complaints of a child by the side of the road. You would be mistaken if you believed that this was the final troubling element in this situation.
On their way home from work, everyone made a brief stop at Target, and Carlee Russell did the same on the day of her disappearance. The nurse’s decision to make a quick trip to the store is not unusual, but it is odd that none of the items she purchased were discovered with her when she vanished. Hoover police told AL.com that Russell stopped at the shop to get “snack food.”
They stated, “These items were not found at the scene of her disappearance with her cell phone or wig.” Many people thought the goods should have been discovered at the site, and if not, perhaps Russell took them with her (which wouldn’t exactly make sense if she had been abducted). This led to greater concerns about the alleged kidnapping.
Police will keep looking to find out what happened to Russell after she vanished despite all the discrepancies and worries. Russell’s family is standing by their version of events, even though the police aren’t certain she was kidnapped.
In an interview with WBRC, Talitha Russell, Carlee’s mother, said, “Carlee has given detectives her statement and hopefully they are pursuing her abductor.” Although Talitha made it quite apparent that her daughter had been abducted, there has been no official confirmation.
