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

[Quill]

This MSM article includes the audio and a partial transcript of the dispatch and radio conversations: Listen to Hoover police respond the night Carlee Russell disappeared from I-459

Hopefully that means we can discuss them, including this piece which has been baffling me for awhile:

“That BOLO - with special attention directed to Bessemer, Jefferson County, McCalla and the Tuscaloosa area -- read, in part, that “personal belongings including cell phone were just located around Exit 1 on 459.””

I am very curious where the cell phone was located - I know from the audio they didn’t find it until about 35 minutes after the original arrival of the police.

I knew I remembered an exit mentioned different from where her car was found.

 

[squareandrabbet]

So according to Carlee’s mom, the RRI tip was a hoax. That explains the “THIS IS NOT TRUE” comment.

Also, what a cruel hoax…

I don’t believe anything about this case is true or untrue, until I hear it at the end of an investigation from LE.

they didn’t seek this case out and have no reason to exaggerate or mislead on any aspect, for any other reason than not potentially inciting a public outcry, IMO.

I rarely unilaterally believe what family members or mates say about these situations, because they only know what the victim tells them; and all their information is “according to the person we love”.

they’re also not trained interrogators, from anything I have seen said.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

BBM
Well, in my opinion he should get all the facts straight before he gives expert opinions. He states the the police took her home in this quote. That's a large error.

I agree. Also, he says nobody is looking for an abducted child but who and where was it said the child had been abducted? Hypothetically somebody could have used their own child, so of course there wouldn't be any active missing children reports. All she said was she saw a child on the side of the highway. MOO

 

[hparker36]

Seems it would have been better to have the police go to the RRI instead of go there themselves.

Agree

Russell was traveling home from work in Birmingham, Alabama, and is believed to have picked up food on her way back before heading toward Hoover on I-459. She stopped to look for the child "near mile marker 11 between the Galleria flyover and Exit 10 for Highway 150," police said.

Alabama police search for missing woman who said she saw child walking along highway

Alabama police are currently searching for Carlee Russell, who disappeared after calling 911 about helping a child walking along the interstate.

www.usatoday.com

*eta:
"There aren’t currently any missing children that I’m aware of," the police source says. "There’s not really an investigation into that, at least not at the moment."

Police Are Not Looking for a Toddler Reported by Missing Nursing Student Carlee Russell: Source (Exclusive)

Authorities have not issued any alerts for missing children in the wake of Carlee Russell's mysterious disappearance.

themessenger.com

IMO..Not all people/parents report missing children. It could be a child abuse situation or a trafficked child that was being used in nefarious ways.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

LE released a statement yesterday I think saying she called 911 at 9:34pm, was talking with her sister in law at 9:36pm and CR disappeared shortly after that.
I don’t think that gives her any time at all to double back around. Plus, she would have been leaving that child by the road for probably at least ten minutes while she did that, which would mean that not only did she leave the child in danger for at least 10 minutes but she didn’t bother calling 911 during that time either. Just doesn’t make sense.

Right, I was thinking about the time between she picked up the food and called her mother to say she was almost home. Early on there was some talk about her having time to double back to the "scene." Seems like she left Tazikis at 9:00. At 9:19 she made that last tweet and called her mom, then the next call was the 911 call at 9:34. Could she have made it from Tazikis at 9:00 to the location her car was found in by 9:20 (assuming she saw the "toddler" after she spoke to mom), and then doubled back and made it back to the same spot by 9:34 to make the 911 call? Or more generically, could she have left Tazikis at 9:00, spotted the supposed toddler, doubled back and made it back to the same location by 9:34 to make the 911 call? That's 34 minutes.

 

[Snail-Overlord]

Wouldn't it have to be someone that knows Carlee's mom's number, to be able to text her in the first place?
I'm guessing that narrows down who the hoaxer might have been.

Agreed, rotten, cruel hoax.

If she’s had the same phone number for some time, it’s honestly possible that someone may have found her phone number via public records online if they were intent on doing this. I honestly have no idea though. Maybe I would just rather believe that a stranger would be cruel than someone who’s close to Carlee’s family.

JMO

 

[hparker36]

I agree. Also, he says nobody is looking for an abducted child but who and where was it said the child had been abducted? Hypothetically somebody could have used their own child, so of course there wouldn't be any active missing children reports. All she said was she saw a child on the side of the highway. MOO

Exactly!

 

[Snail-Overlord]

I don’t believe anything about this case is true or untrue, until I hear it at the end of an investigation from LE.

they didn’t seek this case out and have no reason to exaggerate or mislead on any aspect, for any other reason than not potentially inciting a public outcry, IMO.

I rarely unilaterally believe what family members or mates say about these situations, because they only know what the victim tells them; and all their information is “according to the person we love”.

they’re also not trained interrogators, from anything I have seen said.

Her family actually stated via a Facebook post that the tip wasn’t true when they were still looking for her. So honestly, I have no reason not to believe them at this time. JMO

Edit: no idea about anything they’ve said since then; obviously LE will need to clarify that. But I do believe the explanation they’re giving for the RRI tip is truthful.

 

[hparker36]

I don’t believe anything about this case is true or untrue, until I hear it at the end of an investigation from LE.

they didn’t seek this case out and have no reason to exaggerate or mislead on any aspect, for any other reason than not potentially inciting a public outcry, IMO.

I rarely unilaterally believe what family members or mates say about these situations, because they only know what the victim tells them; and all their information is “according to the person we love”.

they’re also not trained interrogators, from anything I have seen said.

Spot on!

 

[Nug_Lyfe]

You're welcome!

Also keep in mind early on it was suggested she may have spotted the child while driving at a high speed, then gotten off that exit and doubled back to slowly approach it and stop. At some point some felt the timeline may have supported a double trip. Is there an official timeline here on WS to refer to, does anyone know?

The thing i dont understand is the time line of what you stated in relation to the ground she would have to cover. I travel 459 south all the time ( 2x's today) and if she did see the child when she passed, it would take her a good 10 min to circle back to the same stop since its 3 miles to the next exit that has a huge intersection. From what i saw in a recent cam video, it shows that she sat on the shoulder of the road for a good 3 -4 min before driving further up the shoulder of the HWY about 100 yards to where she ultimately stopped. You can literally see her caution lights sitting for 3-4 min before she moved forward which was seconds after she called the police ( 9:34 cst). Thats a good 15 min delay between where she saw the kid earlier and the time she finally arrived back at the hwy sign/landmark. Why wouldnt she have called the cops when she was circling back? Obviously, she had time and she was concerned about the child she said she saw.

 

[TIGER0822]

Has any websleuther created a timeline of events?

 

[gingerbread]

Her phone, wig, and hat were found together, is that right? At exit 1 on 459, which is several minutes and miles from where Carlee pulled over to look for the toddler. She called 911 and gave her location - that we know because the police arrived there soon after to look for the toddler, and probably by then, the lady screaming with a baby. Was she still in this location when she called her SIL? Based on what SIL said, Carlee spoke to the toddler and then screamed. At that point, did it sound like the phone dropped? I know SIL reported hearing traffic sounds, but has it been reported who, if anyone, disconnected that call? My question is, if she was grabbed about a mile before exit 10, and there was a struggle where she dropped her phone, wig, and hat, how did all of those things end up 10 miles down the road at exit 1?

 

[thebedbug]

Her phone, wig, and hat were found together, is that right? At exit 1 on 459, which is several minutes and miles from where Carlee pulled over to look for the toddler. She called 911 and gave her location - that we know because the police arrived there soon after to look for the toddler, and probably by then, the lady screaming with a baby. Was she still in this location when she called her SIL? Based on what SIL said, Carlee spoke to the toddler and then screamed. At that point, did it sound like the phone dropped? I know SIL reported hearing traffic sounds, but has it been reported who, if anyone, disconnected that call? My question is, if she was grabbed about a mile before exit 10, and there was a struggle where she dropped her phone, wig, and hat, how did all of those things end up 10 miles down the road at exit 1?

I think it's a reasonable assumption that the officer saying exit 1 meant to say exit 10.

 

[Cubby]

Carlee Russell's call about missing toddler raises questions: Ex-detective

Criminal justice professor Joseph Giacalone told Newsweek that what police are not doing is more telling than what they've made public regarding Carlee Russell.

www.newsweek.com

7/18/23 AT 6:07 AM EDT

[...] Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD Sergeant SDS (Supervisor Detective Squad) and now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told Newsweek he always follows the lead of law enforcement when judging a case—and in this case what the police are not doing is more telling than what they've made public.

"They've made no public statements about this," he said. "They basically just said, 'OK, she's at home. We brought her there,' and that's it. But here's the other thing—we don't see a big search going on for this abducted child." [...]

No search for the alleged abductor/s either.

 

[Quill]

Her phone, wig, and hat were found together, is that right? At exit 1 on 459, which is several minutes and miles from where Carlee pulled over to look for the toddler. She called 911 and gave her location - that we know because the police arrived there soon after to look for the toddler, and probably by then, the lady screaming with a baby. Was she still in this location when she called her SIL? Based on what SIL said, Carlee spoke to the toddler and then screamed. At that point, did it sound like the phone dropped? I know SIL reported hearing traffic sounds, but has it been reported who, if anyone, disconnected that call? My question is, if she was grabbed about a mile before exit 10, and there was a struggle where she dropped her phone, wig, and hat, how did all of those things end up 10 miles down the road at exit 1?

GREAT QUESTION. I think we are all scratching our heads. Well, most of us anyway.

 

[keepitsimplestupid]

I think it's a reasonable assumption that the officer saying exit 1 meant to say exit 10.

I wouldn’t reasonably assume that. That would make a big difference, and I’m surprised that the officer would make such a mistake without clarifying at some point. Does anyone here know what was found where?

 

[Quill]

I think it's a reasonable assumption that the officer saying exit 1 meant to say exit 10.

Well, I mean we can assume anything then. I mean, maybe did or maybe he didn't. But honestly, it cannot be chucked to the side without clarification.

 

[Marmlet]

Once I was driving home at night with my teenage daughter, and I thought I saw a small/medium brown dog on fire, running, at the edge of the road, on the shoulder. Four-lane road in the country, completely dark out. I was driving; my daughter was in the passenger seat just visiting with me. She was not playing on her phone or anything — she was looking out the windshield/window as I drove, and she didn’t see anything.

I was so sure I’d seen something WRONG, I did make a u-turn and came back around…twice!!! The second time back around, we found a partially burned paper bag on the side of the road, stuffed with something. Trash, it seemed. But it was charred and still smoking…had been on fire…was brown, and the size of a small/medium dog.

Even in the pitch dark, I had correctly seen the color by the light from my headlights. My daughter had thought I was CRAZY!!! She was sure there was nothing there. I 100% believe a driver could see and recognize a small child in the dark, and that other drivers might not notice it.

Whether this whole scenario of abduction/toddler by the road, or any part of it is true or not, I have no idea. But I don’t find the possibility of seeing a child that no one else sees as unrealistic as some seem to. And I think I could totally tell if it had on clothing, or only a diaper, and would probably have an impression on gender. The brain can make very quick assessments even when you aren’t consciously thinking of something. Even if you end up being wrong, you can be very sure you saw something at the time!

There’s no real reason I posted this — I have no opinion and am just waiting to see what details come out. But the “what can you see in the dark” comments made me think of my “dog on fire” incident! And I would totally have called 911 if I hadn’t found the burned bag. Because I KNEW I saw something, and it looked like a brown dog on fire, running. It turned out to be just a bag blowing along the ground in the breeze, probably someone not being careful when they burned their trash. But if someone had set an animal on fire I wasn’t letting them get away with it!!!!

 

[ptandj]

I think it's a reasonable assumption that the officer saying exit 1 meant to say exit 10.

But it sounds like exit 1 made it into the BOLO which would make it not just a misstatement, IMO

 

[ptandj]

My understanding is that only the phone was found away from the vehicle. Everything else was in or near the vehicle. Could be wrong, but that’s what I’m getting from that recent AL.com article with quotes from the recording and BOLO.