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

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I think using a toddler for human trafficking on a Highway seems so unlikely for all the reasons mentioned thus far. But nothing really seems to make sense. How could it be targeted?

There was another witness to the second vehicle with a man leaning into her car. So where is that guy? Did he just stop to help? If so, why didn’t he call 911 when he arrived and found her vehicle abandoned?
 
iamnotagolem said:
I think using a toddler for human trafficking on a Highway seems so unlikely for all the reasons mentioned thus far. But nothing really seems to make sense. How could it be targeted?

There was another witness to the second vehicle with a man leaning into her car. So where is that guy? Did he just stop to help? If so, why didn’t he call 911 when he arrived and found her vehicle abandoned?
Click to expand...
Do we know he didn't?I haven't heard.
 
AllisonS said:
A man was seen with her on the highway, so someone was there with her during the short period of time after she stopped but before she went missing.
Click to expand...

Source?

I have not seen a police statement that makes this claim. There are a few articles that include a variation of the following (from msn.com):

“Her mom said they do have some indication there may have been a gray vehicle that a trucker saw that pulled in front of Carlee Russell’s car at some point as they were passing along the interstate.”

I can find nothing that confirms that Carlee was seen with a man. Interestingly, I did read that the trucker reported a “brown-skinned” man in khaki shorts “leaning over” in a car, but I can’t find an actual MSM news source for that information.

EDITED TO ADD: I did see a statement by LE but it was published in The Daily Mail. Not sure if approved as a legitimate news source. The quote is:

“Lt. Daniel Lowe said the family member on the phone with Russell lost contact with her even though the line remained open. He said a single witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside of Carlee's vehicle, but they have no additional information.”

If this is not allowed, I’ll remove the quote.
 
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This so heartbreaking! We have heard rumors for years that Birmingham is a hotbed for trafficking (I-65 and I-20 intersect here) and have been warned about people using “bait” to get people to stop and help. the part of 459 she was on is very well traveled and well lit. The exits she was between are both very busy. Prayers for her safe return.
 
Starkville said:
Source?

I have not seen a police statement that makes this claim. There are a few articles that include a variation of the following (from msn.com):

“Her mom said they do have some indication there may have been a gray vehicle that a trucker saw that pulled in front of Carlee Russell’s car at some point as they were passing along the interstate.”

I can find nothing that confirms that Carlee was seen with a man. Interestingly, I did read that the trucker reported a “brown-skinned” man in khaki shorts “leaning over” in a car, but I can’t find an actual MSM news source for that information.

EDITED TO ADD: I did see a statement by LE but it was published in The Daily Mail. Not sure if approved as a legitimate news source. The quote is:

“Lt. Daniel Lowe said the family member on the phone with Russell lost contact with her even though the line remained open. He said a single witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside of Carlee's vehicle, but they have no additional information.”

If this is not allowed, I’ll remove the quote.
Click to expand...
Search continues for Carlee Russell: Woman vanished in Hoover after reporting child walking on I-459

"Talitha Russell said a tip was called in from a trucker who was traveling along I-459 at the time of Carlee Russell’s disappearance.

“He saw her red car with the door open and he saw a grey car with a tall brown skinned man with khaki shorts on leaning over in the car,’’ Talitha Russell said."
 
Another point is that we’ve heard The Summit is not safe for kids to be dropped off to shop (like we did at the mall when we were little). And it’s is a very affluent area of town, but just too close to interstate - that is where she worked. Also, 459 runs to TusCaloocan where Univ of AL is and lots of college kids driving back and forth all the time.
 
TIMELINE

8:20 PM
Police say Carlee got off work last night at around 8:20 p.m. from a business at The Summit and is believed to have stopped to pick up food from a restaurant at The Colonnade before traveling toward Hoover on I-459 where she stopped near mile marker 11 between the Galleria flyover and Exit 10.

9:18 PM
Talitha Russell said the last time she spoke with her daughter Carlee was around 9:18 Thursday night when she left Taziki’s after picking up food and was headed home.

9:30 PM
Hoover Police say around 9:30 p.m., the Hoover 911 Center received a call from a 25-year-old woman on I-459 South near mile marker 11 who reported she saw a toddler walking on the side of the interstate.

9:36 PM
After calling 911, Russell stopped to check on the child and called her sister-in-law around 9:36 p.m. to report the same details. The family member lost contact with her, but the line remained open.



www.wbrc.com

Carlee Russell turns herself in to the Hoover City Jail, charged with 2 misdemeanors

The Hoover Police Department released new details in their investigation of what happened between Carlee Russell’s disappearance last Thursday night, July 13, and her return home on Saturday night, July 15.
www.wbrc.com www.wbrc.com
 
AllisonS said:
Search continues for Carlee Russell: Woman vanished in Hoover after reporting child walking on I-459

"Talitha Russell said a tip was called in from a trucker who was traveling along I-459 at the time of Carlee Russell’s disappearance.

“He saw her red car with the door open and he saw a grey car with a tall brown skinned man with khaki shorts on leaning over in the car,’’ Talitha Russell said."
Click to expand...
Thank you. I just found it, myself.

So if we put this together with the statement from the Lt., we can confirm there was a tip.

There’s no confirmation that the man was in the company of Carlee, though.

IMO, he pulled over to investigate. I wonder why he didn’t call 911. Maybe he assumed someone had to answer nature’s call urgently?

Curious.
 
Maybe the toddler wasn't purposely used as bait----but could have been kidnapped, or in a custody battle situation---and the driver pulled over for some reason and child bolted, and was walking on the side of the highway?

Carlee stops to see if child is OK and she is taken as well?
 
WBRC has added a video. "Friday - 9:45 p.m. Update: WBRC has obtained traffic camera video from Interstate 459 at mile marker 11.7 from the time period it is believed that Carlee Nichole Russell disappeared. " It show a car stopping on the side of the interstate a a police car arriving a short time afterwards. No other vehicle stops. I don't know if that is her car.

‘We are trusting God’: Family of 25-year-old woman possibly abducted staying positive
 
Like I previously said, I drove through this area roughly 20 minutes prior to the 911 call. 459 is a six laned bypass separated by a grassy median. The speed limit is 65/70 but most people go closer to 80mph. It is a relatively straight but deadly stretch of interstate. I have never, in 25+ years, driven along 459 where I was the only vehicle and especially not at the early time of night. There was a light rain off and on, as well. I would think that unless you were in the right lane, you’d at least take 75-100ft before you could slow and safely pull over on the side of the road. Then you’d have to walk back to whatever you saw. You cannot just slam on brakes and easily pull off.
 
Whoa… if that is her on the video there are so many strange things. First… that video is slowed down tremendously. Second, she had on her caution lights for an extremely long time driving down the shoulder. You can see her get out and walk around the back of the car, and then nothing else. I see no other people or anyone on the shoulder before or after her vehicle. (If that’s hers.)
 
At a little over 1:00 in the video someone exits the driver's side of that car, walks behind the car to the passenger side.
Also, as the car approaches it's stop, the headlights illuminate the area in front of the car. I can't see anything that looks like a child on the shoulder or or just off in the grass.
Maybe she saw something and took the exit, which is just ahead and circled back around. This would explain why she approached slowly on the shoulder like that (assuming that is her).
 
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