Alabama woman missing after helping child she saw walking on a highway
Detectives say the 25-year-old woman called 911 and stopped to check on the child but lost contact with a family member shortly after.
LEARN MOREPosted: 8:00 a.m. EDT Jul 16, 2023
Alabama resident Carlethia "Carlee" Nichole Russell returned home late Saturday and was brought to the hospital after being the focus of a two-day search when she went missing after checking on a child on an interstate.
She returned to the home she shares with her parents in Hoover, Alabama.
"She walked up, banged on the door, and that was her," Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis told WBRC. Derzis said he did not know how she got there.
Hoover police said they received a call at 10:45 p.m. that Russell had returned home, and officers went to investigate. Hoover Fire medics also responded to the scene to assess Russell, and transported her to the hospital for evaluation.
The circumstances around her disappearance are not immediately clear.
On Thursday, Russell had called police and a family member when she saw a child walking alone on I-459 and went to check on them. The family member heard a scream and lost contact with Russell over the phone, which is when she disappeared.
At the time, police who searched the area found Russell's personal belongings and cellphone near her car, but no sign of her or a child.
A $25,000 reward had been set for any information that helped locate Russell.
