Alabama woman returns home after going missing off a highway
She has been taken to a hospital for evaluation.
LEARN MOREPosted: 11:23 a.m. EDT Jul 19, 2023
Authorities in Alabama revealed on Wednesday that they do not believe there is a threat to the public in the case of Carlee Russell, who claimed she was abducted after checking on a toddler wandering down an interstate.
Russell called police on Thursday and reported seeing a child walking alone on Interstate 459. The Hoover Police Department played the conversation she had with the dispatcher.
"It doesn't look like he has any pants on, it looks like a diaper," Russell told the dispatcher who had asked what the child was wearing.
After disconnecting with the dispatcher, Russell contacted a family member who reported that they heard Russell scream before losing contact with her.
She was not seen again until Saturday night when she returned home.
During a brief interview with police, Russell said a man forced her into an 18-wheeler. She claimed she was able to escape before being captured again and taken to a house where she was blindfolded and forced to get undressed. She said she woke up the next day and was fed cheese crackers by a female who was accompanying her male abductor.
Prior to allegedly being abducted, police revealed that Russell's financial records showed that she purchased cheese crackers and granola bars.
Russell claimed she was able to eventually escape from captors after she was put in a vehicle. She said she walked through the woods and eventually made it home.
Russell was met by first responders and taken to a local hospital to be checked out.
According to the Hoover Police Department, investigators have no evidence that a toddler was walking down the side of the highway. They said there were no reports of missing children at the time and no one else reporting seeing the child on the busy interstate.
Furthermore, they said Russell searched terms like "do you have to pay for an Amber Alert" before going missing.
Police said Russell is now refusing to talk to authorities, but they note that their investigation is ongoing.
