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

[BCSleuth]

This is what I keep going back to. It might help explain the trucker that saw the man in the gray car. There are still a lot of unknowns in this case and I hope someday we get more insight, but I’m mostly just happy she’s home.

LE has already confirmed there was no gray car. Which we can see for ourselves on the video.

 

[BCSleuth]

Yeah that video definitely opened the door to thinking there was no abduction since no one else can be seen on it, <modsnip> I did think an alligator was a possibility though. It’s definitely a weird case but ultimately one of the happier ones we’ve discussed here — thank goodness!

I was worried about the possibility of self harm. Seems like she was hallucinating and you just don't know what could happen from there.

I'm glad she's safe and there is no doubt in my mind that this was not an abduction.

 

[Knox]

I wouldn't be surprised if Carlee's parents make a statement in the next few days. If I were them I would generically give a few facts, thank the public for their love and support, then ask for privacy. Whether Carlee was missing due to external forces or her own making, she's home and safe. If this were your daughter (going through the worst time of her life), wouldn't you want people to have compassion and grace for her?

 

[MistyWaters]

Reading between the lines, LE had reason to believe early on this was not a criminal matter so naturally the main concern behind Carlee’s disappearance then became suicide. I’m really impressed with the Hoover police chief and how delicately this missing persons case was/is being dealt with.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/16/carlee-russell-found-alabama/

What happened to Carlee Russell?​

It remains unclear where Russell was between Thursday night and Saturday night, and why she abandoned her vehicle.

Footage from Thursday published by AL.com appears to show Russell’s car driving slowly on the shoulder of the interstate, with hazard lights on, before coming to a stop.

According to WBRC, the Hoover police chief said his detectives were “very happy” that Russell was found alive, and said they would give Russell time to reunite with her family before talking to her about what happened.

“The first thing is to give Carlee and family a little time to get themselves back together,” Derzis said, according to WBRC. “I know it’s been a tough experience for them. When we think it’s time to sit down and have a conversation with Carlee and try to get some facts, we’ll do that.”

“We wanted her to come home safe and sound — and we’ll hope that’s what happened here,” he said.

 

[mfmfan77]

LE has already confirmed there was no gray car. Which we can see for ourselves on the video.

Yeah I’m inclined to believe there never was one, which makes me wonder if the trucker who claimed to see one was either just lying for attention (weird but probably most likely scenario) or somehow involved himself.

 

[mfmfan77]

I was worried about the possibility of self harm. Seems like she was hallucinating and you just don't know what could happen from there.

I'm glad she's safe and there is no doubt in my mind that this was not an abduction.

I was worried about that as well. Or that she was possibly hallucinating and was hit by a car without the driver realizing it. I’m so relieved with the outcome. Definitely one of the best we’ve had from the cases we usually see.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

BeginnerSleuther- wondering about the take after recent developments. Still not likely a mental breakdown?

Also, is a psych evaluation required to become a nurse? I searched for it but got mixed responses.

People will make assumptions if they don’t have all the info. Perhaps better for her future to be upfront, especially if she’s the victim of a crime people in the community need to know about. If there was no crime, that’s newsworthy too.

I still don't believe this was a first break. It looks nothing at all like a first break. The fact that she re-appeared and went home makes me even more convinced this wasn't a first break. If it's true she was discharged from the hospital, it makes me triply convinced this was not a first-break or any type of psychosis at all.

A hallmark sign of psychosis -- particularly first break -- is disorganization, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, and fear. As far as we know, this is not the case in this situation. If the 911 call is released and it shows the things mentioned above, I'll amend my opinion, but IMO, with what we know now, this was not a first-break psychosis. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't first-break psychosis. Could it have been something else related to mental health? Who knows. I can't comment on that without more information. But IMO, it wasn't first-break psychosis.

No, nurses don't have to undergo a psych eval to become a nurse. Weaponizing mental health by requiring evaluation to determine competency in delivering healthcare is something that would never be acceptable today, for good reason.

 

[Nug_Lyfe]

I believe the footage was released by the media, not LE. Just to clarify that point…

The media did release it; however, not before LE combed through it. Of course they could FOIA requested the video, but we all know that LE could have delayed that with the timeline they have on actually have to hand over the request which is legally, well over 48 hours of process time. LE handed this video either to get public help or to be transparent on exactly what happened. LE and the media get an A+ on how they handled this case and this is coming from someone who doesnt always side with the acts of LE and the media.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

IIRC, BeginnerSleuther said it did not present like a psychotic break (psychosis). Even if she is having a mental health issue, that in no way means she was having psychosis. Apples and oranges (in my non-medical professional opinion)

Thank you for summing up my thoughts so accurately. First-break psychosis is part of a very specific illness with a specific set of criteria and symptoms. Psychosis, in general, is less specific, but this situation doesn't appear like psychosis and definitely not first-break psychosis, based on what we know.

 

[musicaljoke]

I still don't believe this was a first break. It looks nothing at all like a first break. The fact that she re-appeared and went home makes me even more convinced this wasn't a first break. If it's true she was discharged from the hospital, it makes me triply convinced this was not a first-break or any type of psychosis at all.

A hallmark sign of psychosis -- particularly first break -- is disorganization, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, and fear. As far as we know, this is not the case in this situation. If the 911 call is released and it shows the things mentioned above, I'll amend my opinion, but IMO, with what we know now, this was not a first-break psychosis. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't first-break psychosis. Could it have been something else related to mental health? Who knows. I can't comment on that without more information. But IMO, it wasn't first-break psychosis.

No, nurses don't have to undergo a psych eval to become a nurse. Weaponizing mental health by requiring evaluation to determine competency in delivering healthcare is something that would never be acceptable today, for good reason.

Thank you for this post. I'm accepting your professional opinion as a verified physician, that this was not a first break psychosis.

 

[Nug_Lyfe]

Yeah that video definitely opened the door to thinking there was no abduction since no one else can be seen on it, <modsnip> I did think an alligator was a possibility though. It’s definitely a weird case but ultimately one of the happier ones we’ve discussed here — thank goodness!

Alligator? in Birmingham , AL? unless she went to the Birmingham Zoo, the chances of coming across an Alligator in Hoover is very low.

 

[ArmchairDefective]

Yeah I’m inclined to believe there never was one, which makes me wonder if the trucker who claimed to see one was either just lying for attention (weird but probably most likely scenario) or somehow involved himself.

Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable. I doubt that the trucker had malicious intent, he was probably just misremembering what he saw and where he saw it.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

You're welcome. I realized that not everyone knows about that case. I followed that case here from the very beginning. I have been here awhile and cannot remember what I was following when Abby first went missing, but my full attention shifted to her case the minute I saw her thread appear. Her thread went through all of the normal theories up to and including that she was over-sheltered and ran away, pregnancy, divorced parents and family problems, online predator, drugs etc etc etc. That was all before she showed up on her mother's doorstep. Then it really went crazy on here. Her case has been on mainstream tv news programs. I think Dateline may have done a couple of episodes. It is a cautionary tale for all of us not to jump to conclusions just as much as any Papini case.

I don't know if WS was around during the Elizabeth Smart case, but it was a similar tale on social media, especially when she was found alive. I think that until more facts are known, no one can speculate with any degree of confidence about what happened here.

MOO.

 

[Fika]

I still don't believe this was a first break. It looks nothing at all like a first break. The fact that she re-appeared and went home makes me even more convinced this wasn't a first break. If it's true she was discharged from the hospital, it makes me triply convinced this was not a first-break or any type of psychosis at all.

A hallmark sign of psychosis -- particularly first break -- is disorganization, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, and fear. As far as we know, this is not the case in this situation. If the 911 call is released and it shows the things mentioned above, I'll amend my opinion, but IMO, with what we know now, this was not a first-break psychosis. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't first-break psychosis. Could it have been something else related to mental health? Who knows. I can't comment on that without more information. But IMO, it wasn't first-break psychosis.

No, nurses don't have to undergo a psych eval to become a nurse. Weaponizing mental health by requiring evaluation to determine competency in delivering healthcare is something that would never be acceptable today, for good reason.

We don’t know her health history it didn’t have to be the first time occurrence. Just IMO

 

[Turkeytrot]

I'm sorry if I missed this but do we know the toddlers name or was that released?

No. We don't even know if there was a toddler at all

 

[ElizB]

Yeah I’m inclined to believe there never was one, which makes me wonder if the trucker who claimed to see one was either just lying for attention (weird but probably most likely scenario) or somehow involved himself.

Or mistaken…

 

[BCSleuth]

I still don't believe this was a first break. It looks nothing at all like a first break. The fact that she re-appeared and went home makes me even more convinced this wasn't a first break. If it's true she was discharged from the hospital, it makes me triply convinced this was not a first-break or any type of psychosis at all.

A hallmark sign of psychosis -- particularly first break -- is disorganization, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, and fear. As far as we know, this is not the case in this situation. If the 911 call is released and it shows the things mentioned above, I'll amend my opinion, but IMO, with what we know now, this was not a first-break psychosis. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't first-break psychosis. Could it have been something else related to mental health? Who knows. I can't comment on that without more information. But IMO, it wasn't first-break psychosis.

No, nurses don't have to undergo a psych eval to become a nurse. Weaponizing mental health by requiring evaluation to determine competency in delivering healthcare is something that would never be acceptable today, for good reason.

She was possibly talking to an imaginary person and she screamed... if that isn't hallucinations and fear I don't know what is.

And why does it even have to be "first break?" We know nothing of her medical history.

I know somebody with schizophrenia and this fits right in. It could easily be some kind of psychosis.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Police Chief Nicholas Derzis told the New York Times he's not sure how she got there, but nobody was with Russell on her arrival.

And she does know not to stop for anyone ... I think she kind of let her guard down thinking they were so close. And when she got out the car, she did tell my daughter-in-law, 'I can't just leave this little child on the side of the road.'

Russell works part time at The Woodhouse Day Spa and attends Jefferson State Community College, according to AL, where she is studying to become a registered nurse.

She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from AUM, according to the outlet.

Toddler was 'bait' to lure Alabama woman from her car, family claims

Carlee Nichole Russell, 25, was found alive on Saturday night after being 'dropped off' at her house. An investigation into the ordeal is ongoing after sparking a multi-state search.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

We don’t know her health history it didn’t have to be the first time occurrence. Just IMO

That's why I said based on what we know. But regardless, a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia (which is what is usually referred to by "first break") is very unlikely, IMO. I'm prepared to amend that opinion should the 911 call be released or we hear more about her frame of mind -- things like delusions, paranoia, disorganization, etc.

 

[Starlet]

She was possibly talking to an imaginary person and she screamed... if that isn't hallucinations and fear I don't know what is.

And why does it even have to be "first break?" We know nothing of her medical history.

I know somebody with schizophrenia and this fits right in. It could easily be some kind of psychosis.

A feel like that post you quoted is where the general MH aspect made the jump to psychosis. Not all MH crises are psychosis.