An Alabama woman who went missing after calling 911 and a relative to report that a toddler was walking alone on the highway has returned home, but clear details about where she was during the time that she was missing have not yet emerged.
Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, 25, went missing on Thursday, July 13 sometime after 9:36 p.m., according to an update posted on Facebook by Alabama's Hoover Police Department. The Hoover Police Department reported that she returned home on July 15 at around 10:44 p.m.
Hoover police reported that Carlee told the 911 operator and her relative that she was stopping to check on a toddler she saw on the side of I-459. The police say that the line went silent while she was talking to her family member.
Her parents believe that the toddler was used as "bait" to get Carlee to stop. When police officers arrived at the scene after being dispatched, they found Carlee's wig, cellphone, and purse near her car, but not Carlee or the toddler.
The New York Post reported that a witness saw a gray vehicle and a man near the scene.
When Carlee returned home, she "appeared to be in shock" and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. She was treated and released, according to police. Police said they were able to get "an initial statement" from Carlee but the details are part of an investigation that is still ongoing.
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Carlee's boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons, says Carlee was kidnapped and "fighting for her life."
"She was literally fighting for her life for 48 hours, so until she’s physically & mentally stable again, she is not able to give any updates or whereabouts on her kidnapper at this very moment," he wrote on Facebook.
Police said they are giving Carlee time and privacy before interviewing her.
"The first thing is to give Carlee and family a little time to get themselves back together," Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis said to WBRC. "I know it’s been a tough experience for them. When we think it’s time to sit down and have a conversation with Carlee and try to get some facts, we’ll do that.”
He also said that he's happy that she has returned home, and that he hopes she returned safe and sound.
"Carlee’s 911 call remains the only timely report of a child on the interstate," the police said.
They also noted that traffic camera footage captured part of the incident and is still being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
"During the initial portion of the investigation detectives were able to retrace nearly all of Carlee’s steps until the point she went missing and are confident that will continue to be the case," the police said in their statement.
In the statement shared by the police on Sunday, July 16, the police department said they were releasing all of the information that they could currently release.
"We rejoice with the Russell family as they continue to rest and recover from this situation and ask for their wishes to be respected regarding their privacy," the police department said in the statement.
Talitha Russell, Carlee's mom, told AL.com that her daughter was on the way home when the incident occurred. The relative she was speaking to on the phone was her brother's girlfriend, she said.
“My son’s girlfriend heard her asking the child, ‘Are you OK?’ She never heard the child say anything but then she heard our daughter scream," Talitha told the publication. “From there, all you hear on her phone is background noise from the interstate.”
According to AL.com, Carlee is currently studying to become a nurse and works part-time at a spa. The community college she attends also posted about the her on Facebook when she was reported missing, writing that the institution was concerned for her safety.
The Harpersville Police Department also released a statement about Carlee on Facebook, writing, "when this news broke, so did our hearts. This world needs many many more young women and young men like her."
