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

[txsleuth70]

So either the trucker is lying or he saw someone else.

Completely spitballing with a gruesome scenario that we have seen happen in the past. Could she have been hit by a truck and ended up embedded in it? Would hitting her happen so fast though that a scream would not be heard?

If the gray car/man thing did not happen, it leads me more towards a mental health break.

The 'trucker' could just be a completely spoof caller trying to be recognized by the police & media. Terrible someone would do that, but, hello...swatting.

 

[Alwayswanted2bFBIagent]

I don’t get this video at all.

—if she called 911 when she saw the child she would have to have driven past that child and exited, entered the highway in the opposite direction, driven to the next exit, gotten off, gotten back on, then driven back to where the child was. That would take some time. Not saying she didn’t do that, but she didn’t just pull over quickly.
—there is a ton of traffic on this road. Did anyone else report this child?
—she drives slowly with her flashers on for a long distance and her headlights hit nothing, no child, no adult, no car. Was the child gone by the time she got back to the spot and she was looking for them?
—to me it looks like her silhouette rounds the back of her car and lingers near the passenger side. I never see it move down toward the deep shadows, but it’s hard to see.
—if someone grabbed her it was not near her car, way too many cars going by with potential witnesses. if she was grabbed it was in the shadows which makes me wonder where her wig, and phone were found.
—she was not taken away in a car parked on the interstate, it’s just not there. As someone else brought up, perhaps she was taken to a nearby house on the other side of the shadows, or a car waiting on a side street.

Very strange.

The operators may have sent her through different dispatch offices and departments to talk to because of the location and to obtain access to different radio frequencies that might be for St. Trooper vs sheriff vs City police for ex. That could explain the calls to 911 and then her talking to her brother’s girlfriend. She slowed down with her hazards on as if to look for the area in which she saw the child. If you’re traveling at 70-80mph that could mean she was slowly creeping her car on the shoulder for the amount of distance she traveled

 

[ConfusedPopsicle]

The 'trucker' could just be a completely spoof caller trying to be recognized by the police & media. Terrible someone would do that, but, hello...swatting.

Or maybe it was someone trying to lead the police in the wrong direction.

 

[gremlin444]

I really don't feel this was a staged, planned disappearance on her part with the intention of leaving her current life. The reason why: the 911 call. She would know that once she makes that call, the clock starts--and there will be a very small window of time before police arrive. She gave 911 a precise location for the police to go, they would see her car and the hazards immediately...and there would be no question for them of where to look for her. It would be one thing if she had only called her brother's (wife?girlfriend? i've seen both) and then had the dramatic scream, no more sound from her on the phone, just the highway noises. It would take the person she was on the phone with a few more minutes before calling the police to report this. She might not have even told the person on the phone where she was stopping (specifically). But the fact that she called 911 first puts her on too tight of a timeline for this to be something she planned--she'd only be giving herself a few minutes to get out of the area. Especially since we still see her standing and moving next to her car at least 1 min and 30 sec (and probably at least another 20 seconds after that) before we have problems seeing her on the video. The cops show up 2 1/2 minutes later. Why would she waste time standing by the car that long and risk the police arriving (or a good samaritan pulling over to see if she had car trouble) if her plan was to dramatically disappear?

 

[txsleuth70]

I do not believe this is a mental health related episode. The fear in her mother's voice leads me to think this was something completely unexpected and out of the norm for Carlee. If she had prior MH issues I feel they would have disclosed them or at least hinted about it. Could it be an Initial Onset of MH issues? Yes, of course, but even then there can be tell-tale signs to friends and family members, even with schizophrenics.

Abductors could have laid low for a week watching her coming and going from work waiting for an opportune moment. And an abductors own child could have been used. A three or four year old child could definitely answer if they were okay, but if they were also extremely scared they might not.

I think the 'trucker' call was a prank call, sadly.

Praying for Carlee and her family.

 

[txsleuth70]

Deleted duplicated post

 

[txsleuth70]

deleted duplicated post in error

 

[marloweclover]

MOO... could what she saw have been a preexisting situation? The problem came through the trees from the neighborhood and once she got involved, she followed or was taken back that way? It's July in Alabama, I'm originally from within 50 miles of right there, and that's going to be some dense, nasty vegetation, but it's possible there's a trail through known to those who have reason to use it. It's not actually very far to the other side.

 

[Van Helsing]

A few yeas ago I saw a bobcat sitting on the side of the road at Spain Park High School.it was pretty large and had its back turned to the road. That could very well have been mistaken for a child squatting down.
After she stopped, maybe she saw movement in the tall grass and assumed it was the child, but it was actually a large cat. Then it could have attacked when she called out, and she ran ...
Of course, that’s just a plausible scenario not even a theory or opinion, and it assumes those people in the pictures posted above are just digital artifacts.

 

[Knox]

The search began Thursday night when Hoover 911 at 9:34 p.m. received a call from Russell, said Lt. Daniel Lowe.

Russell told the dispatcher that she was near mile marker 11 when she saw a toddler walking alone on the side of I-459 between the flyover to the Galleria and Highway 150.

After calling 911, Russell stopped to check on the child and called a family member to report the same details, Lowe said. The family member lost contact with her, but the line remained open.

Search continues for Carlee Russell: Woman vanished in Hoover after reporting child walking on I-459

Russell reportedly stopped to check on the child and has not been heard from since.

www.al.com

Here is MM10, can someone orient me to MM11? Is it past the 150 exit? According to the bold above, where would she have seen the child (mark on map). Google Maps

 

[Knox]

MOO... could what she saw have been a preexisting situation? The problem came through the trees from the neighborhood and once she got involved, she followed or was taken back that way? It's July in Alabama, I'm originally from within 50 miles of right there, and that's going to be some dense, nasty vegetation, but it's possible there's a trail through known to those who have reason to use it. It's not actually very far to the other side.

Here's what the area looks like from a birdseye perspective. There are houses on the other side of the trees, as many have stated.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Van Helsing]

The search began Thursday night when Hoover 911 at 9:34 p.m. received a call from Russell, said Lt. Daniel Lowe.

Russell told the dispatcher that she was near mile marker 11 when she saw a toddler walking alone on the side of I-459 between the flyover to the Galleria and Highway 150.

After calling 911, Russell stopped to check on the child and called a family member to report the same details, Lowe said. The family member lost contact with her, but the line remained open.

Search continues for Carlee Russell: Woman vanished in Hoover after reporting child walking on I-459

Russell reportedly stopped to check on the child and has not been heard from since.

www.al.com

Here is MM10, can someone orient me to MM11? Is it past the 150 exit? According to the bold above, where would she have seen the child (mark on map). Google Maps

I’m confused now. If Mm10 is 1/2 mile from the 150 exit, MM11 would have to be beyond the exit. Maybe that exit sign is not accurate. The images of the search area looked to be the same place where the car stopped in the video. I think you can see cars exiting 459 in the distance in the video.

 

[txsleuth70]

I do not believe this is a mental health related episode. The fear in her mother's voice leads me to think this was something completely unexpected and out of the norm for Carlee. If she had prior MH issues I feel they would have disclosed them or at least hinted about it. Could it be an Initial Onset of MH issues? Yes, of course, but even then there can be tell-tale signs to friends and family members, even with schizophrenics.

Abductors could have laid low for a week watching her coming and going from work waiting for an opportune moment. And an abductors own child could have been used. A three or four year old child could definitely answer if they were okay, but if they were also extremely scared they might not.

I think the 'trucker' call was a prank call, sadly.

Praying for Carlee and her family.

Abductors could have laid low for a week watching her coming and going from work waiting for an opportune moment. And an abductors own child could have been used. A three or four year old child could definitely answer if they were okay, but if they were also extremely scared they might not.

I think the 'trucker' call was a prank call, sadly.

Praying for Carlee and her family.

UGHH, I'm going to change my tune here - I posted the above before watching the video!

It would have taken her a second to turn her flashers on if she had seen a child - so then WHY continue to travel several hundred more feet from where she had supposedly seen him/her?

It would have taken more than 5 mins for a child that age to walk to where she parked and not be hit by the traffic. It would have taken her at least 3-5 minutes to walk away from her car back to the child at the point she turns on her flashers.

Something else is definitely at play here. Still praying.

 

[vls12345]

The search began Thursday night when Hoover 911 at 9:34 p.m. received a call from Russell, said Lt. Daniel Lowe.

Russell told the dispatcher that she was near mile marker 11 when she saw a toddler walking alone on the side of I-459 between the flyover to the Galleria and Highway 150.

After calling 911, Russell stopped to check on the child and called a family member to report the same details, Lowe said. The family member lost contact with her, but the line remained open.

Search continues for Carlee Russell: Woman vanished in Hoover after reporting child walking on I-459

Russell reportedly stopped to check on the child and has not been heard from since.

www.al.com

Here is MM10, can someone orient me to MM11? Is it past the 150 exit? According to the bold above, where would she have seen the child (mark on map). Google Maps

I think this should show MM11. It's right where the entrance ramp merges in.
I-459

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

I am not sure where she was stopped in relation to particular signs....

 

[Knox]

I’m confused now. If Mm10 is 1/2 mile from the 150 exit, MM11 would have to be beyond the exit. Maybe that exit sign is not accurate. The images of the search area looked to be the same place where the car stopped in the video. I think you can see cars exiting 459 in the distance in the video.

I guess "near" is a relative term. She was past MM10, but near MM11, so maybe that's just splitting hairs?

 

[ml33b]

I think that at 1:02 of the video, you can see a shadow being cast on the blue exit sign of a shadowy figure that is running, most likely toward Carlee. <modsnip>

then, not even ten seconds later, she appears to begin struggling with something. Her movement becomes more erratic. She appears to be gone by 1:36 seconds into the video. That's just my thoughts on the video <modsnip>

 

[marloweclover]

This is what I'm thinking. Three options.

1) into another vehicle. If there's a camera, which there clearly is, they'd be able to see that someone else stopped and left again between her and the police.
2) ran across 459 and disappeared on the other side. Very hard to do safely judging from the video, and would be on camera.
3) went into the woods. Is either still there or went into the neighborhood on the other side. Why go into the woods? Either you are following someone, you are fleeing, or you are forced. From the loss of the wig and hat, moo is that it's one of the second two. A struggle and she escapes briefly and runs that way, or a weapon is on her and she complies. Who forced her or who did she run from? Someone who was already there, since there's no other car arriving. How did they get there? They came from the woods.

 

[Hexe]

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.

As far as I remember the witness reported seeing two cars and a man, but Carlee was not in sight. So this dude might be a suspect, but I doubt it, you do not chilli around the car of a person you just kidnapped, you leave area with your victim in tow as fast as possible.

It's more probable the brown skinned man was just a concerned citizen, who stopped seeing an abandoned car, checked the situation and then, for whatever reason decided to leave without calling the LE.

 

[TravelingBug]

Is anyone local/familiar with this road?

If it's relatively flat, might it be possible she saw what she thought was a child from a distance?

Thus she slowed with her flashers on as she approached for what seemed like awhile, therefore not needing to circle back around and it also being that the location where her car was wasn't quite where the 911 call indicated she said she saw the child (meaning she was reporting approximately because she'd not gotten to the exact location)?

 

[Knox]

I think that at 1:02 of the video, you can see a shadow being cast on the blue exit sign of a shadowy figure that is running, most likely toward Carlee. <modsnip>

then, not even ten seconds later, she appears to begin struggling with something. Her movement becomes more erratic. She appears to be gone by 1:36 seconds into the video.<modsnip>

Gone where? To the homes on the other side of the tree line?