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

[mfmfan77]

i'm changing my story to what you just said.

Hahahahaha thought I'd help ya out a little bit with that one

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

There is no need for speculation about the phone location. Hoover PD have clearly stated:

"Hoover Police officers arrived on scene within five minutes of being dispatched, and several other officers arrived shortly behind. They located Carlee’s wig, cell phone and purse on the roadway near her vehicle, and Carlee’s Apple Watch was in her purse."

source: update on carlee russell case - Hoover Police Department

Well there kind of is some room for speculation because what does "near her vehicle" mean? What's the maximum and minimum distance that phrase conveys?

 

[CamilleBSP]

Blood tests taken at the hospital would confirm something of that nature IMO.

This largely depends of what, if anything, was given to her.
I don't think that's the case because she was driving, after all, and maybe we don't know for sure if other people reported her driving recklessly, but I don't personally see this as a possibility.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Well there kind of is some room for speculation because what does "near her vehicle" mean? What's the maximum and minimum distance that phrase conveys?

Good point, because I as well recall reading they couldn't locate it immediately, and it was a distance away, but of course I cannot locate that article and it's probably been updated and changed anyway!

 

[gitana1]

Not only was her kidnapping not faked, but she refused to talk to police in the beginning because she was traumatized and terrified he would come back as he told her he would. She was then brutalized again by investigators who believed she was lying. It should be websleuths abduction 101 required reading.

Yes. Thus, I posted that as one of the alternative scenarios that could have happened to Carlee.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I know I do not know Carlethia‘s mental health condition before during and now - after. We’re hearing and seeing an only a glimpse of Carlee. 48-49 hours missing. I know I have enough trouble even remembering to take my own psych meds so I’m not about to attempt to diagnose on a crime sleuthing forum. I’m sure we can all offer scenarios that fit the facts.

<modsnip: specifics diagnosis> who knows what happened to Ms. Russell? Right now, it’s her business unless she or law enforcement tells us different. imo

 

[SerialGal]

Seeing the stories about those of you whom rescued someone on the side of the road reminded me of when I was rescued.

My husband and I (when in our 30s) had an old beater of a car that conked out on us about 3 miles from an exit. The day was hot and humid, we were both dressed in jeans and sneakers, Tshirts with no sunscreen, and I was hauling my bag. I’m sure we looked “iffy.”

A much older woman in a convertible with the top down came along beside us as we trudged along and offered both of us a lift to the exit, where a gas station was. We were so grateful and offered her money, which she would not take.

I think about stopping to rescue someone and in todays world, I don’t know that I would. This woman stopped for TWO of us, and although 2 decades ago, it was a risky move.

Now that I’ve put this in writing I don’t remember what the point was I wanted to make.. just that there are people who think of others safety before their own.

 

[Stunned]

there is really one important question mark
why is L.E silent ? and the family is talking

And THAT is a million dollar question right now isn’t it?

 

[Ghostwheel]

Right now, I am wondering: How did she get so far away from the scene in the 5 minutes it took for LE to arrive? Did they look around, find a track, anything? She could not have been more than 1/4 to 1/3 mile away if walking on flat ground in five minutes.

Possible answers:
Driven away in a car we cannot see, either out of range of the camera (another car near where her car had originally stopped or, on the other side of the trees)
Hustled off by person or persons known or unknown through the trees (to some mode of transportation).
Hiding in the trees? (Even possible, I don't know the area?)
Running somewhere no one could see or hear her? (still doesn't seem like she could get far enough away)

I have to go with left in a vehicle of some sort, from off camera or from the other side of the trees. If on the other side of the trees, they'd be looking for cameras and they aren't going to tell us what they have found yet.

Or perhaps I am assuming LE is more capable than I give them credit for. Maybe they just arrived and stood there in the general vicinity until more LE arrived which would make it longer than 5 minutes.

 

[neesaki]

I question the phone call to her parents/family members. If I had been abducted and was missing for days I would call 911 the minute I had a chance before calling my family from a number they would not be familiar with. If the parents immediately called LE and they responded by going to the RRI she would have had to have just left right after she made that call so what would the point of the call been for?

I also question that. And I still want to know about that baby, why LE hasn’t even mentioned it. It’s as though they’re not the least bit concerned.

 

[DianaElaine]

And if she was at the Red Roof Inn, or any hotel, how did she get a room without a credit card or ID? Im still not clear on if she was there.

And how did she get there, regardless of where she went.

As another poster mentioned, if this was a hoax, I think she had to have help.

Taken to the hotel, raped, then let go? MOO

 

[Stunned]

I also question that. And I still want to know about that baby, why LE hasn’t even mentioned it. It’s as though they’re not the least bit concerned.

Very odd lack of response by LE in IMO

 

[lonetraveler]

She stopped for 3 minutes just outside of camera range, then she moved up into her final position which was .44 miles from the first position. So there is a chance she was abducted at the first stop and someone else moved her car into it's final position.

This part really caught my eye. It would take awhile to leave the interstate to the safety lane so she would have had to back up to get to the point she saw the toddler, not drive forward.

 

[mickey2942]

I haven't seen the answer about the food.

No Subway sandwich?

 

[athenna]

One thing I can't quite wrap my mind around with this case, is why Carlee would call 911 AND a family member if she was planning her own disappearance. If this is all a hoax, why would she call 911 when she knew officers would be sent to the scene immediately instead of just abandoning her car somewhere less well-travelled and buying herself extra time before it was found? Surely she knew calling 911 about an abandoned toddler walking on the side of a major interstate would get an immediate police response.

If her parents had her phone's location and she didn't come home, they would surely go looking and find her car. She even called her mom to say she was on her way home with her mom's dinner. If she wanted to stage her own disappearance, wouldn't she just leave the car somewhere more inconspicuous and start her "escape" before her mom even had a reason to track her phone? I just can't make the idea of a staged disappearance make sense in my brain. I'd love to see anyone's thoughts!

While staying victim-friendly, I would say that in a purely hypothetical scenario, one motivation someone would have to fabricate a situation that draws a lot of attention is to pull attention away from something else they may not want others to know about.

I think we’ve seen that before with other cases, where someone has some sort of big problem or secret they don’t want their loved ones to know about — so they orchestrate a big drama in which they are perceived to be at serious risk — and then when they come home like the prodigal son, their family is just happy they’re alive so they’re willing to overlook the initial problem.

I think one thing is clear in this case, that Carlee has an incredibly supportive family. She’s very lucky that way.

 

[mooseandcoffee]

I’m just waiting until more is released, I made wrong assumptions in another case (Ashley Bush) because it didn’t make sense to me, the story was off and outlandish. Turns out she was abducted and murdered, it truly happened the way it was reported. I felt terrible, what happens when her family reads what everyone (me included) said?

On Sunday, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said they are still investigating where Russell had been.

“We’re going to find out exactly what took place,’’ Derzis said.

Russell’s mother, Talitha Robinson, released a statement on Facebook early Sunday afternoon, but it did not shed light on what happened during Russell’s disappearance.

“Just as we made a commitment to not entertain negative thoughts during the time our daughter was missing, we surely will not entertain negative thoughts/statements, unvalidated opinions, or sheer ignorance at such a joyous time,” the statement read.

Carlee Russell: What we know after she vanished on I-459 in Hoover, returned home

Hoover police said they have found no evidence of a public threat after she said she was kidnapped.

www.al.com

OMG I love the family's statement. Whatever took place, I personally do not think it was a scam of any kind by Carlee. So her fear that day and the subsequent fear that her family and loved ones had was 100% real.

After so many cases that did not end with a victim appearing safe, this was a highlight.

 

[lonetraveler]

This might’ve already been already discussed but according to yesterdays release from LE, it appears both calls were made within 3 minutes. So if the vehicle first stopped when the 911 call was made, remained in that same location for 3 minutes, both calls were made before it moved on. It doesn‘t seem logical for Carlee to be asking the child if he’s okay, then a scream is heard coming from one location. Then personal articles to have been found by the abandoned but still running car, as if to suggest a kidnapping had just occurred in that second spot. JMO

ETA: What will prove interesting is if cellphone analytics determine that additional amount of travel following the two calls.

Unanswered questions linger in Carlee Russell's mysterious disappearance and return

There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the disappearance of 25-year-old Carlee Russell, who returned home to her parent's house in Hoover Satur

abc3340.com

• Russell communicated on her cell phone with individuals known to her while on her path of travel up to the point of calling 911 at 9:34 PM. The conversation with the 911 operator ended and Carlee called a relative.
• She went missing during that conversation sometime after 9:36 PM after telling both the 911 operator and the relative she had seen a male toddler in a diaper on the side of I-459 and was stopping to check on him.

It would be nice if the 911 call was released. The dispatch call has been released.

 

[gingerbread]

I wonder if she was wearing her wig and hat at work the day she went missing. And if she had it on when she went to Taziki’s to pick up her food.

 

[Quill]

Yes. Thus, I posted that as one of the alternative scenarios that could have happened to Carlee.

Yes, I remember that we followed that one (amongst others) together. I knew what you meant in your original reply. Always value your input and expertise here. I'm not here as much as I was back then. It gets heavy for me.

 

[hparker36]

While staying victim-friendly, I would say that in a purely hypothetical scenario, one motivation someone would have to fabricate a situation that draws a lot of attention is to pull attention away from something else they may not want others to know about.

I think we’ve seen that before with other cases, where someone has some sort of big problem or secret they don’t want their loved ones to know about — so they orchestrate a big drama in which they are perceived to be at serious risk — and then when they come home like the prodigal son, their family is just happy they’re alive so they’re willing to overlook the initial problem.

I think one thing is clear in this case, that Carlee has an incredibly supportive family. She’s very lucky that way.

I am onboard with this possible scenario. I can see where it could be a possibility. All being said she seems to be such an accomplished and intelligent adult, whatever is going on, I hope it is cleared up soon for her sake and the family.