Desperate Search by Carlee Russell
Family members were on the phone with the Alabama woman when she stopped to check on a child she saw walking on the side of the interstate. The last thing they heard before was her scream.
HOOVER, Ala. – Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, the 25-year-old Alabama woman who was the subject of a two-day manhunt when she disappeared after stopping on an Alabama interstate to check on a child, has been found safe
FOX affiliate WBRC reports Russell showed up at the Hoover, Ala., home he shared with his parents around 10:45 p.m. Saturday.
“He walked over, knocked on the door and there she was,” Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis told the station.
The missing woman is now at a local hospital for evaluation.
Officials have not released any details about where Russell was, how he got home or his condition.
“We work with facts,” Chief Derzis said. “With social media, you have so many people who think they know what happened. Right now, we’re just so glad she’s home.”
Vigil for Missing Alabama Woman
It’s been more than 24 hours since Carlee Russell, 25, of Hoover, Alabama, was last seen. Authorities say she may have been abducted from the side of Interstate 459 near Mile Marker 11. Neighbors held a vigil Friday night. They hope and pray that they find her.
The search for Russell began Thursday night. That night, she called 911 and later spoke with a family member, saying she saw a small boy walking on the side of Interstate 459 South near Mile Market 11 in Hoover, Alabama.
Carlee’s mother, Talitha Russell, said her daughter was on the phone with a family member when she stopped to check on the child.
“My daughter-in-law could hear her asking if the boy was OK, and the boy didn’t answer, at least she didn’t hear her answer,” Russell said. “Then he heard our daughter Carlee scream.”
While the family lost contact with Carlee Russell, the line remained open.
READ MORE: WOMAN stops for boy along Alabama interstate, disappears without a trace
Hoover police report on search for Carlee Russell
Carlee Russell disappeared on the night of July 13, 2023, along Interstate 459 south of Birmingham, Alabama. Hoover police gave a briefing the next day about the search.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Russell’s red Mercedes still running on the interstate, but were unable to find her or a child in the area.
“His car door was open,” Talitha Russell said. “They found her wig and her hat, and her cell phone.”
The phone is being forensically examined to see if there are any clues that could help them find Carlee. Investigators say no children had been reported missing in the area.
Police say a witness reported seeing a man next to Russell’s vehicle just before officers arrived on the scene.
“A single witness has reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle with a light-skinned male standing outside Carlee’s vehicle,” Hoover Police Lt. Daniel Lowe said at a news conference.
Carlee Russell (Hoover Police Department)
Who is Carlee Russell?
Russell is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing between 150 and 160 pounds.
She was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants and black tennis shoes.
Investigators believe Russell left work around 8:20 p.m. from a business in The Summit in Birmingham, picked up food and then drove to Hoover, where he lives with his parents.
On the day she disappeared, Russell went to Harpersville, where officials say she briefly interacted with members of the city’s police department.
“Yesterday we had the honor of spending time with this intelligent, courteous and honest young woman. She was doing business in the city of Harpersville yesterday and we were very impressed with her respect, poise, good attitude and willingness to convert – become a nursing student. and help others,” the Harpersville Police Department wrote on Facebook. “When this news came out, so did our hearts. This world needs many, many more young women and young men like her.”
AL.com reports that Russell is a student at Jefferson State Community College and is studying to become a registered nurse.
Jefferson State wrote on Facebook that it is “praying for his safe return” and that they were “extremely concerned” for his safety.
After word of her disappearance spread, a private donor came forward to offer a $25,000 reward, in addition to the $5,000 offered by Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama. That reward eventually increased to $55,000
This story is being reported from Atlanta.
