Helping is the civic responsibility of every citizen. But what if that help lands you in a precarious situation?
Missing cases cannot be defined under one circumstance. Some cases are buried under the cold files, some had to wait for years to find their loved one, while some went missing under bizarre conditions, and others returned home safely after being reported “missing” after a few days.
Carlee Russel’s case sheds light on obscured situations when extending a helping hand can actually set one off guard. Let’s explore a possibility that explores the discourse of whether it was an ambush or a mental breakdown.
Who Is This Missing Alabama Woman?
Carlee Russel is a 25-year-old woman living in the small suburb of Hoover, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Summer was upon the states, and Carlee was making the most of it. But unlike most youngsters, she was productive by taking nursing classes at the Jefferson State Community College.
Meanwhile, she never stopped hustling as she worked part-time at the Woodhouse Spa in Birmingham.
So far, the reports on this case have mentioned her mother, Talitha Robinson-Russell, her brother, and her brother’s wife (who is a crucial link in this case).
She is reportedly in a relationship with her boyfriend, Thommar Simmons.
What Happened to Carlee Russell?
The following events unfold on Thursday night, the 13th of July.
According to Talitha Russell, Carlee followed a similar routine every day. As usual, she finished her shift at the spa and clocked out at 8:20 p.m.
She then made a quick stop at the Mediterranean restaurant and picked up a chicken roll-up for her mother.
Carlee Russell proceeded on the usual commute route when she started de-accelerating her car on I-459 South near mile marker 11. Reportedly, she noticed a wee child on the side of the interstate.
9:35 p.m.: This is the recorded time she called 911 to report an unsupervised lone toddler. As per Talitha’s account, the 911 dispatcher asked Carlee to stay with the child until the police arrived.
After that call, the investigators recorded another number on her call log, which was to her brother’s wife. Carlee’s sister-in-law was talking to her on the phone when she got out of the car to call the unattended child. But a few moments later, she lost contact with Carlee before she heard a scream from the other end of the line, which seemed to be Carlee’s voice. After which, she could only hear passing vehicles from the other end of the call. It seemed like Ms. Russel dropped her phone mid-conversation.
Robinson-Russell told the local television news station WBRC–
“At some point, she got out of the car and my daughter-in-law could hear her asking the child if they were OK.”
“The child did not respond, or at least she did not hear her respond. And then she heard our daughter Carlee scream and from there on all we could hear was noise, background noise in her phone which we later found out was noise from the interstate.”
These were her last words before Carlee was reported missing.
Where Was Carlee Russell?
When her brother’s girlfriend told the rest of the family about the eccentric call, Talitha and her husband sprung to action, suspecting something awfully wrong had happened to Carlee. They used a cellphone locator feature to track the live location of Carlee.
Meanwhile, when the police reached after the concerned 911 call from Carlee, they found no child at the site and only her vehicle with some of her belongings.
After a while, the family reached Carlee’s last-seen location only to find her stranded car with the driver-side door open along Interstate 459 south of Birmingham, Alabama. They also identified that her wig and hat dropped on the ground beside the car, and her phone was flung nearby.
Police began an immediate investigation after assessing the location using drones to cover the perimeter. Meanwhile, the family and the community joined hands to search for the entire suburb. However, there was a lingering suspicion as to why no other passing vehicle spotted the child.
Latest Updates: Did They Find Carlee From Alabama? Where Was Carly Russell Found?
According to the Hoover PD statements–
Carlee Russell returned home all alone at 10:35 p.m. on Saturday, three nights after being reported missing. The family called the PD to inform them that their daughter had returned.
She was immediately taken to the hospital for medical attention and further assessment of what could have happened to her.
Talitha took to Facebook to post a statement on Sunday afternoon–
“God is faithful, and He has answered our prayers. We are so grateful to each of you for all the acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion you have shown. Our baby is safe!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Father God.”
And further urged people “to allow us to just love on our daughter and each other with our close family and friends.”
Neither police nor the hospital has revealed anything about the assessment reports and are said to be carrying on the investigation.
But in the latest update, Carlee’s boyfriend, Thommar Simmons, posted a somewhat concerning account on Instagram–
“All I asked from everyone right now is to be respectful of Carlee’s situation. She was literally fighting for her life for 48 hours, so until she’s physically and mentally stable again, she is not able to give any updates or whereabouts on her kidnapper at this very moment.”
This relayed an extreme discourse among netizens, where some were concerned about the child’s whereabouts and the possibility that he was used as bait to kidnap Ms. Russell. While other netizens suggested that the entire situation was a hoax, implying that Carlee was lying and there was another side to the story.
Respecting the family’s urge for privacy at the moment, we will post an update after the confirming reports and police statements are released.
Advice To Young Women Travelling/Commuting At Night
According to several reported true crime cases, there has been a rampant racket of abducting women using this one bait–
It involves a very young child looking helpless and stranded somewhere. The child approaches a young lady, stating that he lost his way to his home/parents. Then the child hands the lady a piece of paper with an address.
Through the goodness of her heart, the lady escorts the child to the given address. But it turns out that it was a trap all along, where the kidnappers ambush her.
The police advised not to follow the child but instead to call 911. And if the child hands them an address, they should instead reach the nearest police station.
Stay alert, stay safe.
What are your opinions on this case? Do you believe Carlee, or was she going through something personal? Let us know in the comments section below.
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