Found Alive AL - Carlethia “Carlee” Russell, 25, 911 call reported toddler walking on side of interstate, car found, she & toddler gone, Birmingham, 13 Jul ‘23 #2

[SMK777]

But premeditation of what? catching a bus? leaving town?

Premeditation of conducting a massive hoax involving 911, false information, misleading an official investigation, obstruction of justice, misinformation to law enforcement.

 

[ilovewings]

I've heard some people have been fired from their jobs in the past few days if you catch my drift.

The people who immediately thought her story stunk before ANY details came out, said victim-blaming things, and used words that people who are prejudiced used are the ones who made it weird. Now that we have details, we have details. But at first we had no idea - she could've been murdered and these people were saying awful things. That wasn't fair. Some people got time outs for a solid reason.

I kept my thoughts to myself but her story stunk from the beginning starting with her allegedly chasing a toddler on the highway- that made me laugh out loud it was such a blatant lie- I don't care what color her skin is by the way

 

[CamilleBSP]

My thoughts...if she needed a break or most likely was trying to get attention from her boyfriend or someone else she could have easily given everyone a scare by turning her phone off, driving somewhere further away or parking her car somewhere it might not be noticed within just a day or two. As horrible as that is to scare some of your loved ones for a couple days without them knowing your whereabouts you most certainly have the right to do that without judgment from me.

BUT to call 911 yourself, make up a story involving a child in danger, and leave your car running with personal items inside including your phone that you were searching about amber alerts is on a whole other level of horribleness and premeditation I can't wrap my head around.

Does anyone truly think her parents believed her story without a doubt?

I'd have to think so for going on Today Show as that's utterly embarrassing but also feel like they could have been in denial or trying to save face hoping after it would put it to bed somewhat. I also do not believe this was out of nowhere just like Sherri Papini who had a history of lying and making up stories for attention. You can look like you have the perfect life on the outside but there had to have been signs of this type of behavior in the last 25 years to knowingly plan something so deceitful without any concern for how many people were involved and concerned....

Btw... isn't Mercedes an expensive car? Why risk your car being stolen?

 

[NeverPersonal]

This PD could not have done a finer job. They are to be commended. She's reached Shari Papini fame in that she blamed imaginary abductors who are another race than she. Some people are always going to see what they want to and be dissatisfied, warranted or not. Hoover, AL should be proud. Excellent PD!

I agree!! The PD handled this very well.

I wonder if the call about the gray car had to do with this? Don't you need an automobile involved to instigate an amber alert?

Just thinking aloud.

jmo

You also have to be under 18, <modsnip: not victim friendly>

 

[Snail-Overlord]

I think she was trying/hoping that people WOULDN'T call in an Amber Alert... hence her searching up "do you have to pay".

I'm not incredibly surprised if she meant to look for "need to pay for calling in a false one".

As for the stuff she stole from her employer the spa, I thought she wanted the plush robe because hey, spa robes are nice... and the toilet paper, maybe, because she's thinking of striking out on her own.

(Using both in Nashville, as it were.)

Admittedly, I only had this thought because when my friend was night auditor at a hotel, he would literally steal all his home toilet paper from the housekeeping closet. (I know, I know... in his defense, he was a dude who lived alone and had few visitors, so he didn't use much. I told him I didn't approve.)

Good point about possibly meaning to figure out how not to spur an amber alert. Although it still confuses me why she would have called 911 if she didn’t want to draw attention.

Also I’ve known more than a few people who have stolen toilet paper from work haha

 

[NeverPersonal]

I realize I am pages and pages and pages behind. But I am that dumbbell that believed her.......
I feel foolish for defending her now....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1681752759232495618

Hey, we see a lot of crazy cases here, and I believed her too until it got to a certain point. You're not dumb or foolish, you're caring.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

The only question I have left is, what happened to the granola bars?

LOL. Did the Chief say that they were found in the car? I can't remember. I think that the Cheez-Its were gone. I think that the Chief said that Carlee said that the lady kidnapper fed her Cheese crackers on Saturday morning. If so, at least, it was probably something that she liked.

I want to know where the robe and the toilet paper are. If they can't find the robe, I suspect that there has to be someone else that helped her.

JMO.

 

[lonetraveler]

LE can't just force people to stop in for a chat unless they do so by arresting said person. They can't arrest someone without probable cause. Your suspicion of wrongdoing does not constitute probable cause.

Those of us in the US may be viewed by other countries as being crass and uncouth, but at least we have some protection of our civil rights here.

ETA to add MOO, because I'm pressed for time and can't attach information about US law. It's easy to search for and find that information if someone is truly interested.

I have a lot of knowledge about the law and sometimes someone is brought in on a lesser charge, ie., theft and then questioned for other things.

 

[tara83]

Hey, we see a lot of crazy cases here, and I believed her too until it got to a certain point. You're not dumb or foolish, you're caring.

I'll always give a victim the benefit of the doubt like I did at first in this case until obvious proof it was fake came out.

 

[NeverPersonal]

Levying a fine against her won't do any good--she doesn't have the money, her parents would end up paying it.

What I think would be more valuable would be bringing smaller charges against her with the requirement of community service hours, parole, and therapy. That way her family has no role in restitution, she gives back to the community who came out in droves to look for her and support her family, and checks are made to make sure she is actually getting whatever therapy and help she needs.

That's what is going to make her grow as a person and give her a way to take steps to make things right. Everything else is just punishment and/or allows her parents/mom to try to keep sheltering her.

She stole from her job. She made a false report. She wasted lots of money in city services and resources. She wasted 49 hours of her neighbors in the community's precious time and lives searching for her!

She deserves jail time.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

Hey, we see a lot of crazy cases here, and I believed her too until it got to a certain point. You're not dumb or foolish, you're caring.

If I had a nickle for every time I tried to give a spouse the benefit of the doubt I'd probably be able to cover WS hosting dues for eternity.

 

[ilovewings]

Levying a fine against her won't do any good--she doesn't have the money, her parents would end up paying it.

What I think would be more valuable would be bringing smaller charges against her with the requirement of community service hours, parole, and therapy. That way her family has no role in restitution, she gives back to the community who came out in droves to look for her and support her family, and checks are made to make sure she is actually getting whatever therapy and help she needs.

That's what is going to make her grow as a person and give her a way to take steps to make things right. Everything else is just punishment and/or allows her parents/mom to try to keep sheltering her.

good ideas but there does need to be some serious consequences for her actions

 

[MistyWaters]

MOO, but I'm going to guess that she WAS at the RRI afterall. She likely called family from there, but then the 'friend' or whomever helped her from the woods may have helped her leave RRI and then talked her into just going home later, instead of taking a bus once everything had blown up.

The bathrobe and TP were to be comfy at RRI in my opinion. And so she wouldn't have to be seen asking for more TP, if needed. All just MOO ofc.

I hope LE thought to check RRI in case it was left there.

 

[squareandrabbet]

"can your boyfriend love a stripper?"
"Is T-Pain's song 'I'm In Love with a Stripper' a documentary?"

Aside: I was once stuck on an express bus home to the Bronx after work with a 6-year-old solidly tone-deaf girl, who repeatedly droned this single line OVER and OVER... horribly off-key... I did my best to keep a straight face.

On about the fortieth iteration, the mother makes a faux-mournful face and says to me, "SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT SHE'S SINGING."

Me: "If she DID know what she was singing, THEN I'd be worried, lady! LOL!"

 

[oceanverde]

She stole from her job. She made a false report. She wasted lots of money in city services and resources. She wasted 49 hours of her neighbors in the community's precious time and lives searching for her!

She deserves jail time.

They do need to charge her, IMO, otherwise what message does it send. She can kiss her nursing career goodbye.

 

[Rusty Braincells]

Or they might just be in shock and denial. I refuse to pass judgment on them, they sound like parents who genuinely gave her the benefit of the doubt, and couldn’t fathom that she would do something like this

no one expects a child they have raised to go off and do something like this. There is no evidence that she was raised entitled or enabled in any sort of way.

I am sure Carlee didn’t mean for this story to get as big as it did, but I am also sure that any reasonable parent would have had serious questions these last couple of days when the parents have still been vocally referring to abductors etc and saying they won’t tolerate attacks.

By all means support your daughter, but you can surely see something is not right with her story, so go away and privately help her to move on from whatever has happened.

This case is a reminder for me why most missing adult stories don’t become big news unless there is some serious reason to suspect foul play or other harm. This is nothing to do with people not caring but simply basic facts about life. Most missing adults in any demographic you care to name have left voluntarily, and will return voluntarily, within a few days or a couple of weeks. I think the only reason this got so much attention was the detail about the missing child by the side of the road, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to have been correct for whatever reason — it played into fears a lot of the public have.

 

[Seattle1]

I get what you're saying but she is also 25. Not like they can force her to do something.

Pfft...If parents are believing what CR is selling, they'd admit her to a care facility to assist the fragile daughter with her recovery in an effort to prevent another Alabama daughter from being captured by ginger-haired Blinky.

Recall the mother also saying she couldn't hug/touch, talk to CR when she first arrived home (and sounds like she still can't). Yeah, these parents have been played multiple times before July 15. JMO

 

[x_files]

If she wanted to appear missing, she should have just left her car somewhere and went and bounced. It would have been more credible as a "missing person" than all this other stupid idiot stuff she did.

Why did a 25 year old have to have an excuse to go away for a weekend? What am I missing here? An excuse for work?
She attempted to disappear and start a new life?

 

[Inthedetails]

dbm

I realize I am pages and pages and pages behind. But I am that dumbbell that believed her.......
I feel foolish for defending her now....

https://twitter.com/x/status/1681752759232495618

Don't feel foolish for being generous.

What stood out to me was the wig and hat....seemed so much like Sherri Papini's earbuds and phone that were placed where she pretended to be abducted. I think I got time-out on Papini's thread way back when for using the hoax word. I kept quieter this time, lol.

jmo

 

[Love Never Fails]

Premeditation of conducting a massive hoax involving 911, false information, misleading an official investigation, obstruction of justice, misinformation to law enforcement.

True she may be guilty of those things but I didn’t ask about a hoax or her ignorance or attention getting ideas. I think premeditation takes some intelligence and planning. I don’t think she thought any of it through. She is quite disturbed and the only thing she gets out of it all is that she may be arrested.