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 #3

[Chewy]

I used to be a realtor a long time ago when the lockbox first had an electronic key code. We used a 4 digit key code for the box holding the key to drop down. It updated overnight with the local MLS via a landline.

It wouldn't be hard for Carlee to obtain her mother's info, or phone ap.... And anyone can use realtor.com or a local agencies website to see which homes are available or under contract.

I'm wondering if she hasn't been charged because LE is still investigating the possibility she used her mother's credentials to access a vacant home.

This whole theory has got me thinking. Why did she go to the Red Roof Inn? I'm confused by this detail. Everyone knows when you check into a hotel they ask for ID. Was she actually AT the hotel? Or was it a false flag for her family?

The other issue with the vacant home situation might have been that someone actually showed up at the house to show a client. And she had to sneak out and then couldn't get back in? Maybe that's actually why she turned herself in.

 

[Quill]

I don't see how they can put her in jail. If she stops talking to the police and the family circles the wagons she might not be charged with anything except the 911 call. She never filed a false police report because she's not the one who told the police she had been abducted. I'd be curious to see if she's charged with anything.

But...she has given them a statement on her return that clearly states she was abducted. Still may be a false report in the eyes of the law.

 

[Cubby]

I didn't even think of the probate angle. Such a good point. And yes, she honestly wouldn't even need keys if she went to help her mom go through a house and realized she could leave a basement door unlocked and just get back in. I agree with you that the situation of the house may have been the impetus that started all this in the first place.

This reminded me.... After retiring a friends husband worked for a realtor and met home inspectors to let them into the property instead of the realtor doing so himself.

It's not uncommon for agents to have associates perform tasks not required by law to be handled by a licensed agent.

ETA. In my friends case, he picked up the keys from the agent before meeting the inspector at the property.

 

[Chewy]

But...she has given them a statement on her return that clearly states she was abducted. Still may be a false report in the eyes of the law.

Oh that's true, I forgot about that. Thing is, they need to prove she was lying though. Until they do that it's just them not believing her.

IMO they need to go back to the traffic camera two days prior to see if she pulled over in the same area and got out of the car and walked towards the trees to see if she could figure out a hidden escape route.

And I do think she may have hidden in a vacant home in her Mother's real estate listings. As someone else stated, it aligns with her planning and taking a roll of toilet paper. If she did do this, it is very likely she is captured on a ring camera on one of the other houses in the neighborhood.

If she did do this her mother's Real Estate Career is going to be destroyed as well. Maybe that's why they are backing up her story.

 

[Cubby]

This whole theory has got me thinking. Why did she go to the Red Roof Inn? I'm confused by this detail. Everyone knows when you check into a hotel they ask for ID. Was she actually AT the hotel? Or was it a false flag for her family?

The other issue with the vacant home situation might have been that someone actually showed up at the house to show a client. And she had to sneak out and then couldn't get back in? Maybe that's actually why she turned herself in.

I don't believe it was ever confirmed she was at a RRI. I think that's a rumour.

No one would be showing a home already under contract (unless they were soliciting back up offers). She could have been staying at a vacant home that was already under contract.

 

[Chewy]

This reminded me.... After retiring a friends husband worked for a realtor and met home inspectors to let them into the property instead of the realtor doing so himself.

It's not uncommon for agents to have associates perform tasks not required by law to be handled by a licensed agent.

That's what I thought as well. But apparently Alabama has a strict policy on this. They can't even be present at an Open House. BUT they ARE allowed to handle keys.

State Statutes and Regulations for Unlicensed Assistants

A list of states that have rules and/or guidance about what an unlicensed assistant can and cannot do when helping out with a real estate transaction.

www.nar.realtor

 

[stmarysmead]

If this theory should turn out to be true…abusing her Mother’s access to a listing could have profound negative effects on her Mother’s livelihood.

At least in the short term, sellers might not want to give the listing to a realtor whose daughter was both a thief and an unstable individual who used her Mother’s access to hide out during a notorious hoax.

This is, IMO, unfair to her Mother…but by supporting her daughter’s lies…it is understandable why clients might become uneasy choosing a realtor who aligns and defends her daughter and denies the truth. Mom appears to have no control, no ‘line in the sand’ with this 25 yr old daughter, so who knows what the daughter might be enabled to do.

All the more reason, to step up, own up…take responsibility and apologize. A very short jail term to scare her straight, community service to humble her, and work to teach her real value and pay complete restitution. It is past time to get this adult woman off fantasy island.

 

[Chewy]

If this theory should turn out to be true…abusing her Mother’s access to a listing could have profound negative effects on her Mother’s livelihood.

At least in the short term, sellers might not want to give the listing to a realtor whose daughter was both a thief and an unstable individual who used her Mother’s access to hide out during a notorious hoax.

This is, IMO, unfair to her Mother…but by supporting her daughter’s lies…it is understandable why clients might become uneasy choosing a realtor who aligns and defends her daughter and denies the truth. Mom appears to have no control, no ‘line in the sand’ with this 25 yr old daughter, so who knows what the daughter might be enabled to do.

All the more reason, to step up, own up…take responsibility and apologize. A very short jail term to scare her straight, community service to humble her, and work to teach her real value and pay complete restitution. It is past time to get this adult woman off fantasy island.

If they prove that she used a vacant home there's just no recovering for her mother. I wonder if there's even legal issues involved. This girl pulled a dumb stunt that could completely ruin her family's life.

I think their only option is to say NOTHING. If I was her lawyer I would tell her and her family to keep their mouth's shut and put her in a mental health facility for a while. Thinking this young woman had a mental break is a far different impression than her violating her mother's clients and agency.

 

[SMK777]

But...she has given them a statement on her return that clearly states she was abducted. Still may be a false report in the eyes of the law.

To me, what she did seems serious. Especially as it became a national story.
Considering the things people are jailed for, it would be strange if there wasn’t any potential jail time for her actions. MOO

 

[Snail-Overlord]

I don't see how they can put her in jail. If she stops talking to the police and the family circles the wagons she might not be charged with anything except the 911 call. She never filed a false police report because she's not the one who told the police she had been abducted. I'd be curious to see if she's charged with anything.

There was a similar case where a woman named Chloe Stein staged a disappearance in a similar way. (Except she didn’t call 911; she merely texted her boyfriend as a part of the staging and then hid out) She was charged with felonies. This was in Pennsylvania though.

Woman charged with faking her own abduction to hide fact that she dropped out of college, state police say

Chloe Stein, 23, was found Tuesday night at a residence in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and eventually confessed to authorities that she made up her disappearance, state police said.

www.nbcnews.com

As soon as Carlee talked to the police and gave her statement, she did claim to the police that she had been abducted.

 

[Chewy]

There was a similar case where a woman named Chloe Stein staged a disappearance in a similar way. (Except she didn’t call 911; she merely texted her boyfriend as a part of the staging and then hid out) She was charged with felonies. This was in Pennsylvania though.

Woman charged with faking her own abduction to hide fact that she dropped out of college, state police say

Chloe Stein, 23, was found Tuesday night at a residence in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and eventually confessed to authorities that she made up her disappearance, state police said.

www.nbcnews.com

As soon as Carlee talked to the police and gave her statement, she did claim to the police that she had been abducted.

Yes, I forgot she gave a statement. She's basically toast at this point. That's what makes me wonder why they haven't charged her yet. What else are they working on.

 

[shotgun09]

My personal belief is that CR had an accomplice. Someone was there...to assist her...with Cheeze-itz and Granola bars in hand.. in getting through behind the wooded strip and through the fence that was busted...into the neighborhood where a car was parked and waiting. Seriously, we all saw the video. She just disappeared after her car was stopped.? Where she went after remains a mystery. And, I sincerely hope she did not abuse her parents and their careers even further, by breaking and entering into a vacant home that she may have known about.

 

[Arkay]

She never filed a false police report because she's not the one who told the police she had been abducted. I'd be curious to see if she's charged with anything.

I think calling 911 to bring police by saying she saw a toddler alone on the highway would be filing a false police report.
And then as @Quill added, she continued with her kidnapping story once LE interviewed her.


I could be wrong but anything that brings LE to an emergency (toddler) that didn’t take place would I believe fit the false report qualification.

 

[stmarysmead]

The RRI part of this…seems curious to me. Didn’t the Mother say in her interview that they were inundated with cruel texts, etc giving them false leads?

So lots of texts came to the parents during this time.

Well, why made them assemble the whole family and descend upon the RRI en masse…because of THIS particular text? Why did this ine seem so credible? Why such a different and powerful reaction?

It wasn’t a text from HER cell, she had left that in the car.

Was it the location…was there some history of their daughter staying there or partying there in the past? Or was the information it gave credible in part to knowing their daughter or her plans?

Another strange little detail.

 

[Cubby]

There was a similar case where a woman named Chloe Stein staged a disappearance in a similar way. (Except she didn’t call 911; she merely texted her boyfriend as a part of the staging and then hid out) She was charged with felonies. This was in Pennsylvania though.

Woman charged with faking her own abduction to hide fact that she dropped out of college, state police say

Chloe Stein, 23, was found Tuesday night at a residence in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and eventually confessed to authorities that she made up her disappearance, state police said.

www.nbcnews.com

As soon as Carlee talked to the police and gave her statement, she did claim to the police that she had been abducted.

The link you provided says Chloe was charged with four misdemeanors, not felonies.

 

[Cubby]

My personal belief is that CR had an accomplice. Someone was there...to assist her...with Cheeze-itz and Granola bars in hand.. in getting through behind the wooded strip and through the fence that was busted...into the neighborhood where a car was parked and waiting. Seriously, we all saw the video. She just disappeared after her car was stopped.? Where she went after remains a mystery. And, I sincerely hope she did not abuse her parents and their careers even further, by breaking and entering into a vacant home that she may have known about.

It's possible there is a vacant home under contract for sale near where she abandoned her car. (And one that might have cheez-it crumbs upon inspection)

 

[neesaki]

I didnt recall if already posted:

Carlee Russell is fired from her job at Alabama spa

Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old nursing student who worked at a spa in Birmingham, Alabama, was fired on Friday after claiming she was abducted and sparking a massive manhunt.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Seattle1]

For all asking earlier about whether or not the employment/business of persons close to CR might be affected, her former employer, Stuart Rome of Woodhouse Spa, dealt with backlash all day, and CR no longer works there!

It's just sad. There's no upside to this selfish prank. I'm mostly sad for CR because I don't see her being able to get past the Admin Code of the Alabama Board of Nursing where there's no room for an impulsive actor, and whose behavior can't help but impair their ability to provide safe nursing care. CR's not a stupid teen doing stupid things -- she's an educated woman who obviously has too much time on her hands and lives without boundaries or accountability. MOO

Spa Backlash over Carlee

In addition, the spa has been getting slammed with nasty social media messages and damaging one-star reviews because of its affiliation with Russell.

“Basically, we’ve spent the last day battling to get things deleted,” he said.

“Comments. I’ve had to shut down my comment section on Instagram and Facebook page which hurts us because we do a lot of marketing there. We’re just trying to keep the doors open.”

 

[al66pine]

CR Being Punished by the Public?

I think shes being punished by the public. She enjoyed her social media it appears by the effort she put into the photos & posts on her socials etc, so I think the memes & posts about the situation is a form of emotional punishment for her. Really vicious & ppl can be terrible....

snipped for focus. @proctorelites

^^^ "ppl can be terrible" ^^^
Yes, they can.
Including CR, who apparently imo committed multiple crimes, costing the public untold (atm) thousands of dollars and prompted scores or hundreds of ppl (who are not terrible) to volunteer their own time & effort to search for her. And plus LE at local & fed level.

Does she deserve "vicious" memes & posts? I'm not saying she does. But are some negative responses to her actions & extended lies to LE totally unexpected? *

_________________________________________
* FTR. Re CR's posts on SM a/c's, I've seen only what's been re-posted here on WS.
And I've not seen the kinds of memes & posts the OP is referring to as "vicious" so cannot comment on degree of deliberate cruelty implied.

 

[White_Mountains]

IMO, if CR graduated in 2021, and entered an RN nursing program at JSCC straight away, and if part of the two-year associate in applied science degree program, it seems to me she should have graduated in 2023.

However, if CR is part of the UAB Nursing Community College Partnership Program, which seems more likely to me, and working to obtain the ABN from JSCC, and BSN from UAB, I believe she's only 2 years into the 4- year program. (See pgs 149-157 of College Handbook).

https://www.jeffersonstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/JSCC-2022-23-Catalog-and-Student-Handbook.pdf

Snipped for focus.

Thanks for this! I saw a tweet she put out in January 2023 that said she was about to start her second semester of nursing school. Has anyone seen a SM post from CR noting the end of the spring 2023 semester? I saw a tweet about the end of the fall semester…but didn’t see anything from the spring (although I may have missed it).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1612456498742935552

I’m attempting to include the January tweet here…but I’m still a novice and am not sure it will embed as planned.