A 25-year-old woman went missing moments after making a call to 911 operators about a wandering toddler along a busy Alabama highway.
On July 11, Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell made a call to 911 shortly after 9:30 p.m. to report seeing a toddler wandering along Interstate 459 near in Hoover, Alabama. Russell also called a family member.
Although Russell was nowhere to be found by Hoover police officers by the time they arrived on the scene, her belongings, including her cell phone, were there as well as her vehicle. No missing children were reported in the area, either. A witness said they saw a man standing near her car before police arrived.
Surveillance video of the moment Russell is believed to have disappeared has also been made public.
WBRC has obtained traffic camera video from Interstate 459 from the moment it is believed that Carlee Nichole Russell disappearedhttps://t.co/knNUu1J4Hk pic.twitter.com/JZH1pKm6cp
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 15, 2023
Investigators believe she got off work around 8:20 p.m. from a business at The Summit in Birmingham and picked up food before driving back to Hoover.
Russell has been described as 5-foot-4 and weighs around 150-160 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and black tennis shoes. Her hat and wig were left at the scene, so her hair is braided down to her scalp.
https://twitter.com/kiatheeboss/status/1679899995938467858?s=20
“Please in Jesus Name help us find our baby,” Talitha Robinson-Russell, Russell’s mother, posted on Facebook. “Thank you and we are not receiving any negative thoughts. God is faithful and Carlee will be found safe and free from all hurt, harm and danger🙏🏾🙏🏾Lord I’m trusting you with my whole heart!!”
A private donor has offered a $25,000 reward in addition to the crime stopper’s $5,000 reward.
Anyone with information is asked to call 205-254-7777. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
