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

[BeginnerSleuther]

Has it been confirmed whether her belongings were found inside or outside of the car? The latter would certainly seem to point to an abduction. I'm also wondering if anyone has any information on what kind of wig she was wearing. I know there are some that just slip on and off like a hat, and others that are literally sewn in. If it was the more permanent kind and it was found, then a violent struggle must have taken place.

Per the MSM articles in this thread, they were found outside, on the ground. IMO, this suggests very strongly that a struggle of some type took place.

 

[msmamanana]

there's no gray car, or any other car in the video, just hers

If the trucker did see a tall man in khakis bending over the car, could it have been the person who drove the car there? Someone who was putting her wig and phone on the road?

I'm afraid something happened to her elsewhere and this was just a drop of her car.

 

[Ladyotm]

Was she on the phone with sister in law/brother’s girlfriend while still in the car and for how long after getting out of the car? Or did the phone call begin after she was outside of the car? And how long was the phone call? Obviously the scream heard during the phone call is an indicator of WHEN the trouble started, but we can also use WHEN to figure out WHERE the trouble started. From the time the call started to the time the scream was heard, how much time passed? How long would it have taken her to get from her car to wherever the scream happened, and what is around the area that many minutes/seconds away? Does this make sense?

Great questions!

 

[BCSleuth]

Is there a reason people are discussing a staged disappearance?

Because the facts simply do not add up. The story we are being told seems implausible.

 

[cuffem]

She is beautiful. Was there any mention of a boyfriend or a EX boyfriend?

 

[NewMommy09]

People have done some crazy things in the past in cases of disappearing themselves. However, it makes no plausible sense to me in this case. Calling 911 to report seeing a child on the highway and also reporting the same to family, keeping them on the phone as she stops to check on the child, why would she do that if she's trying to disappear. It creates a very short timeline before police arrived on scene in answer to her call.

I have 2 theories I've been thinking about here and I don't like either one. A. She was ambushed when checking on the "child" and removed very quickly from the scene, which to me suggests a pretty organized operation but not necessarily that they knew who the victim would be, i.e. who would stop to check on the "child". B. Is there ANY water anywhere nearby, or any kind of crevass or crack or anything she could have fallen into while maybe trying to help a child?

It's really really bothering me that there doesn't seem to be any report of a child missing or found in the area that night or any other reports of one being seen near the highway. Whatever she saw alarmed her enough to stop and check and she took proper steps to put on her blinkers and notify police and kept family on the phone. Whatever happened happened very fast.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

But I'm not referring to the footage. I'm talking about a toddler being on a road with heavy traffic and only being seen by a single driver.

Why was Carlee the only driver to see the child when there were so many other drivers along the same highway?

Police aren't reporting several drivers reported seeing a child...

If there was a child, I would expect multiple calls to report seeing the child.

Well, first off, we don't know what people did or didn't see and did or didn't call in. Secondly, if a child was there, it may have literally only been there for a minute or two. The child was supposedly on the side of the road, so I would imagine on a dark highway, only cars in the far right late (closest to the shoulder) would have seen the child. If the child was only there for a minute, it isn't implausible that only one attentive driver saw him/her.

There are a lot of crime scenes where there's only one witness to the actual crime/event, despite many people being around. Who knows what caught Carlee's attention, but IMO, the above isn't reason for me to discount what she says she saw.

MOO.

 

[vls12345]

I still think this is likely the supposed gray car:

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

Just some rambling thoughts. —I just really cannot fathom a child as a lure to try to get someone to stop. Too many variables, too many eyes. —A homeless person would be the only possibility of someone just being there when she pulled over and taking advantage of that situation. But I think she...

www.websleuths.com

If so, perhaps the trucker saw the tall guy leaning into this car, not Carlee's? Maybe he grabbed Carlee and was forcing her into the gray car?

Plus, at least one of the news articles said that LE had found tracks in the grass but there was not enough of an impression for them to be able to tell the type of car.

Additionally, the traffic cams from the few hours before Carlee stopped were not available on the webcam site. (I haven't checked this evening to see if they are now available or not.) It makes me wonder if LE are able to see the gray car pulling over into the grass before or at dark and are trying to get more info.

To me, this seems like the most likely scenario. And so scary. Because it was quick, brazen, and she could have been taken anywhere by now.

(I have no clues or guesses as to why a random person or persons would abduct someone in this manner.)

MOO.

 

[taylorss]

On the actual topic, I figured the child was bait to prompt someone to stop & be victimized... robbery is a common agenda in such schemes, but the use of a child could mean the perp was looking for a female victim to attack or traffic.... ugh

Anyway if that's what happened, the kid wouldn't be roaming aimlessly for lots of people to report, he'd just be around long enough for the perp to catch a victim
MOO

 

[kittythehare]

Because the facts simply do not add up. The story we are being told seems implausible.

Not as implausible as a staged disappearance or an invented psych diagnosis or so many other hypotheses not based upon known facts.
The the known facts are what we get to work with until new facts from verified sources emerge.
Wait it out, wish her the best.
That is all.

 

[Chimera]

People have done some crazy things in the past in cases of disappearing themselves. However, it makes no plausible sense to me in this case. Calling 911 to report seeing a child on the highway and also reporting the same to family, keeping them on the phone as she stops to check on the child, why would she do that if she's trying to disappear. It creates a very short timeline before police arrived on scene in answer to her call.

I have 2 theories I've been thinking about here and I don't like either one. A. She was ambushed when checking on the "child" and removed very quickly from the scene, which to me suggests a pretty organized operation but not necessarily that they knew who the victim would be, i.e. who would stop to check on the "child". B. Is there ANY water anywhere nearby, or any kind of crevass or crack or anything she could have fallen into while maybe trying to help a child?

It's really really bothering me that there doesn't seem to be any report of a child missing or found in the area that night or any other reports of one being seen near the highway. Whatever she saw alarmed her enough to stop and check and she took proper steps to put on her blinkers and notify police and kept family on the phone. Whatever happened happened very fast.

Well said.
It does sound like some sort of ambush, but what the heck ... how would someone know that she would stop ?
Much less what road she'd take ?
The wig left behind seems so ominous.

 

[cuffem]

If the trucker did see a tall man in khakis bending over the car, could it have been the person who drove the car there? Someone who was putting her wig and phone on the road?

I'm afraid something happened to her elsewhere and this was just a drop of her car.

Where did the man in khakis bending over come from LE? Or someone who heard it on scanner? We can not mention scanner conversation from LE.

 

[vlbay]

If the trucker did see a tall man in khakis bending over the car, could it have been the person who drove the car there? Someone who was putting her wig and phone on the road?

I'm afraid something happened to her elsewhere and this was just a drop of her car.

do we know how the video lines up with the timing of the calls?

 

[oceanverde]

Because the facts simply do not add up. The story we are being told seems implausible.

There are very limited facts though so folks jumping to this scenario is mind boggling to me.

 

[oceanverde]

I think the important part about any "tall man in khakis bending over the car" is that we don't know at what time this was, correct? The police arrived quickly.. what do they wear for a uniform? Here state troopers can wear khaki colored uniforms.

 

[BCSleuth]

In my view, if there was a toddler on the side of a busy freeway the police would have heard from lots of others who saw them. We would see the toddler on the video as cars went by with their lights on. There's no way there was a toddler.

 

[bestill]

Carlee's parents speaking with Brian Entin

https://twitter.com/x/status/1680423244040470529

 

[oceanverde]

In my view, if there was a toddler on the side of a busy freeway the police would have heard from lots of others who saw them. We would see the toddler on the video as cars went by with their lights on. There's no way there was a toddler.

You'd be surprised. Ever heard of of the bystander effect? Everyone assumes everyone else is gonna do something so nobody does.

 

[cuffem]

do we know how the video lines up with the timing of the calls?

That answer would help solve a few questions.

 

[Coolcamino]

She is beautiful. Was there any mention of a boyfriend or a EX boyfriend?

Yes the boyfriend was helping search