Carlee Russell - latest: Alabama police throw cold water on dramatic kidnapping tale during press conference

Alabama police described discrepancies in the case of Carlee Russell and cast doubt over the 25-year-old’s claims that she was kidnapped.

Hoover police chief Nick Derzis said in a press conference yesterday that investigators were “unable to verify” most of Ms Russell’s statements in which she described her whereabouts for the 49 hours she was missing.

The police chief pointed to a series of interesting findings indicative that Ms Russell may have feigned her abduction – like her internet search history about amber alerts, the movie Taken and bus tickets.

Ms Russell claimed she was kidnapped from the side of Interstate 459 on 13 July after she pulled off to the side of the road because a toddler was walking barefoot and alone.

Moments after Ms Russell called 911 to report the rogue child, she alleged a man picked her up and forced her to get in a vehicle where she was transported to another location. She told police after two days of being held captive she escaped.

However, Mr Derzis contradicted Ms Russell’s statements, saying investigators were unable to find any evidence of a toddler walking along the interstate or the kidnapping.

Key Points

• Carlee Russell searched for Amber Alerts and movie 'Taken' before disappearing

• What really happened to Carlee Russell?

• Alabama police find ‘no evidence’ Carlee Russell was trying to help toddler on highway when she disappeared

• Carlee Russell’s parents insist she was kidnapped

• Carlee Russell’s internet searches suggest she staged her own kidnapping, Alabama police say

Carlee Russell claims kidnappers forced her to strip and took photos, police says

07:54 , Anuj Pant

The Alabama police has said that the 25-year-old nursing student told them her kidnappers had abducted her on an 18-wheeler truck and took her to a home where they forced her to strip and then took her photos.She said the kidnappers were a man and a woman, police said.The claim comes as Hoover police chief Nick Derzis said officials were “unable to verify” most of her statements about her alleged kidnapping.Police also told media about Ms Russell’s search history days before her kidnapping. Ms Russell had returned home alone and barefoot days later.

Carlee Russell’s employer breaks silence on ‘sensitive’ investigation into her bizarre disappearance

07:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A beauty spa where nursing student Carlee Russell was working on the night she vanished from the side of an Alabama interstate says it is cooperating with a “sensitive” police investigation into her disappearance.

Ms Russell, 25, left the Woodhouse Spa in the Summit luxury shopping mall in Birmingham at about 8.20pm on 13 July, according to authorities.

She called 911 at 9.34pm that night to report seeing a toddler wandering on the side of Interstate 459, and when police arrived five minutes Ms Russell had vanished while the engine of her car was still running.

Ms Russell turned up on foot at just over two days later at her parents’ home in Hoover, and her family has since said she was kidnapped and barely survived.

In a statement to WVTM, Woodhouse Spa owner Stuart Rome said he had turned over “everything we uncovered” to the Hoover Police Department.

Read the full story by Bevan Hurley here:

Carlee Russell’s employer breaks silence on investigation into bizarre disappearance

07:00 , Ariana Baio

A woman who went missing after telling her family she spotted a child walking alone on a stretch of Alabama highway earlier this week has returned home.

Carlethia Nichole “Carlee” Russell returned to her parents’ home at 10.45pm on Saturday 15 July, two days after she appeared to vanish after calling 911 to report a toddler who appeared to be stranded no the side of a stretch of interstate.

It was not immediately clear what happened within those two days or how she arrived home. She was taken to hospital for evaluation; Hoover Police Department officials said that “additional information will be provided when it becomes available”.

Alex Woodward reports:

Woman who reported toddler on the side of a highway returns home after going missing

Police: ‘No reason to believe there is a threat to public’

06:30 , Ariana Baio

Hoover police chief told reporters on Wednesday that from an investigation into Carlee Russell’s disappearance and alleged kidnapping, they have no reason to believe there is a danger to the public’s safety.

“What we can say is that we’ve been unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statement made to investigators,” chief Nick Derzis said.

“We’ve asked to interview Carlee a second time, but we have not been granted that request. As you can see there are many questions left to be answered, but only Carlee can provide those answers.”

What police found when they located Carlee Russell’s car

06:00 , Ariana Baio

Authorities in Alabama were dispatched to the location of 25-year-old Carlee Russell’s vehicle which was pulled off on the side of an interstate after Ms Russell called 911 claiming a toddler was walking along the road.

Police officers arrived on the scene five minutes after Ms Russell called to find her wig, cellphone and purse along the road. Inside her bag was an Apple Watch.

Before she went missing, authorities determined Ms Russell stopped by a store to buy snacks but noticeably missing from her vehicle were said snacks.

“These items were not located in the vehicle or with her cellphone and wig at the scene of her disappearance,” the police statement read.

The Hoover Police Department is expected to give an update to the case in a press conference at 3.30pm ET on Wednesday

Carlee Russell’s search history may point to answers

05:30 , Ariana Baio

In the days and hours leading up to Carlee Russell’s disappearance, the 25-year-old made a series of interesting internet searches that could provide some answers.

According to Hoover police chief Nick Derzis, Ms Russell searched for things like, “Do you have to pay for an Amber Alert” two days before her disappearance.

In the hours leading up to her alleged abduction on 13 July, Ms Russell searched, “How to take money from a register without being caught” and “One-way bus tickets from Birmingham to Nashville.”

She also looked up the movie Taken which is about the abduction of a young woman.

Ms Russell also searched for more information about Amber Alerts while she was at her workplace – which was the last location she was seen before she went missing for 49 hours.

A similar questionable case out of Texas

05:00 , Ariana Baio

Rudy Farias’ mother announced he was found alive eight years after he was reported missing as a teen. This news came as a surprise to neighbours and police, who are sure he wasn’t missing at all.

Andrea Blanco reports:

Rudy Farias was ‘found’ after eight years. But he was never really missing

Carlee Russell’s internet searches suggest she staged her own kidnapping, Alabama police say

04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Carlee Russell made a series of suspicious internet searches in the days before she claimed to have been abducted, Alabama authorities revealed at a press conference on Wednesday.

A forensic analysis of Ms Russell’s cell phone, work and home computers found she looked up information about the movie Taken, Amber Alerts, booking a bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville and “how to take money from a register without being caught”, Hoover Police Department Nicholas Derzis told reporters.

The searches shed light on the 25-year-old’s mindset leading up to when she claimed to have been kidnapped after seeing a toddler walking along the side of Interstate 459 on 13 July, Mr Derzis said.

Read the full story by Bevan Hurley here:

Carlee Russell’s internet searches suggest she staged her own kidnapping, police say

Carlee Russell searched for Amber Alerts and movie 'Taken' before disappearing

04:27 , Maroosha Muzaffar

On 11 July, Carlee Russell used her cell phone to search for information on whether payment is required for an Amber Alert, police said yesterday.

Two days later, on 13 July, Russell conducted two searches related to Amber Alerts using her work computer. One of the searches was about the maximum age for an Amber Alert.

Additionally, she searched for details about the movie “Taken”, which revolves around an abduction, as well as how to commit theft from a register without getting caught, and information about Birmingham bus tickets, police said.

Alabama police find ‘no evidence’ Carlee Russell was trying to help toddler on highway when she disappeared

04:00 , Ariana Baio

Investigators in Alabama have found “no evidence” that Carlee Russell was trying to help a toddler walking along a highway at the time of her mysterious disappearance, it has been revealed.

Nursing student Ms Russell, 25, vanished without a trace from the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover on the night of 13 July – just moments after she called 911 saying she had spotted a toddler alone on the road.

Rachel Sharp reports:

Alabama police find ‘no evidence’ Carlee Russell was trying to help toddler

Carlee Russell’s employer speaks about investigation

03:00 , Ariana Baio

The owner of the beauty spa where Carlee Russell works released a statement opening up about how Ms Russell’s disappearance affected employees and the business.

“Woodhouse Spa employees have been deeply impacted by the events that transpired but are now ecstatic with the news of Carlee’s return home. Our employees worked extremely hard through very tough times keeping guests happy while dealing with the fact that their co-worker was missing,” Stuart Rome told WVTM.

Ms Russell works at Woodhouse Spa located in the Summit luxury shopping mall in Birmingham.

She was returning home from work on the night of her disappearance before she went missing.

Mr Rome said they were cooperating with police in helping put the pieces together on how Ms Russell went missing.

“We understand the investigation is in a very sensitive state and do not want to release any details that could jeopardize the investigation,” Mr Rome added.

Police: ‘No reason to believe there is a threat to public'

02:00 , Ariana Baio

Hoover police chief told reporters on Wednesday that from an investigation into Carlee Russell’s disappearance and alleged kidnapping, they have no reason to believe there is a danger to the public’s safety.

“What we can say is that we’ve been unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statement made to investigators,” chief Nick Derzis said.

“We’ve asked to interview Carlee a second time, but we have not been granted that request. As you can see there are many questions left to be answered, but only Carlee can provide those answers.”

What happened to Carlee Russell?

01:00 , Ariana Baio

Carlee Russell vanished after calling 911 to report seeing a young boy in diapers on the side of a busy interstate. Two days later, she turned up at her home.

Bevan Hurley reports:

What really happened to Carlee Russell?

Listen to Carlee Russell’s 911 phone call

Thursday 20 July 2023 00:00 , Ariana Baio

Carlee Russell’s search history may point to answers

Wednesday 19 July 2023 23:00 , Ariana Baio

In the days and hours leading up to Carlee Russell’s disappearance, the 25-year-old made a series of interesting internet searches that could provide some answers.

According to Hoover police chief Nick Derzis, Ms Russell searched for things like, “Do you have to pay for an Amber Alert” two days before her disappearance.

In the hours leading up to her alleged abduction on 13 July, Ms Russell searched, “How to take money from a register without being caught” and “One-way bus tickets from Birmingham to Nashville.”

She also looked up the movie Taken which is about the abduction of a young woman.

Ms Russell also searched for more information about Amber Alerts while she was at her workplace – which was the last location she was seen before she went missing for 49 hours.

Watch: Hoover Police Department throw cold water on Carlee Russell kidnapping allegations

Wednesday 19 July 2023 22:30 , Ariana Baio

What Carlee Russell told police

Wednesday 19 July 2023 22:00 , Ariana Baio

After 25-year-old Carlee Russell returned to her parents’ home in Hoover, Alabama 49 hours after she went missing, police conducted an interview with her to determine where she went.

During a press conference on Wednesday, police revealed that Ms Russell told them information that they were “unable to verify”.

Ms Russel claimed to have been abducted by a “man who came out of the trees” as she was allegedly checking on a toddler who was walking alone on the interstate.

She said the man had orange hair and a bald spot and picked her up, forced her into a car and eventually put her in the trailer of an 18-wheeler semi truck.

Ms Russell told police that she heard a woman and a baby in the semi, but didn’t see them.

She claimed to have escaped from the trailer, before being recaptured and taken to a house, where her alleged captors forced her to undress and pose for photographs.

She told detectives she was then placed in a car and managed to escape and flee into woods and came out near her home.

Detectives noted she had a minor injury on her lip and a torn shirt. They also found $107 in cash tucked in her right sock.

As of now, police have no evidence that a toddler was walking along the interstate alone or that a crime was committed. The investigation to determine where Ms Russell actually was in underway.

Carlee Russell’s internet searches suggest she staged her own kidnapping, Alabama police say

Wednesday 19 July 2023 21:30 , Ariana Baio

Carlee Russell made a series of suspicious internet searches in the days before she claimed to have been abducted, Alabama authorities revealed at a press conference on Wednesday.

A forensic analysis of Ms Russell’s cell phone, work and home computers found she looked up information about the movie Taken, Amber Alerts, booking a bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville and “how to take money from a register without being caught”, Hoover Police Department chief Nicholas Derzis told reporters.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Carlee Russell’s internet searches suggest she staged her own kidnapping, police say

Police say there is limited evidence of toddler walking along interstate

Wednesday 19 July 2023 21:06 , Ariana Baio

Before Carlee Russell went ‘missing’, she called 911 to inform the police that she spotted a three-to-four-year-old child walking alone, barefoot, in only a diaper and t-shirt along the interstate.

According to Ms Russell, she got out of her car to assist the small toddler and was kidnapped by a man.

Police said that no other people driving along the interstate noticed the toddler or called the police and no children had been declared missing in the area, leading to suspicions about Ms Russell’s story.

Then during a press conference on Wednesday, Hoover police chief Nick Derzis said that in the short phone call Ms Russell had with police she travelled approximately 600 yards (the size of six football fields) while claiming she was following the toddler.

Authorities used location-tracking information via her cell phone to see she had not pulled off on the interstate and was likely not following a small child.

Police hold press conference

Wednesday 19 July 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio

The Hoover Police Department is hosting a press conference to update the public with the most recent information about Carlee Russell.

The news conference will begin at 3.30pm ET / 2.30pm CT.

You can watch it live via their Facebook page.

Police say no toddler was reported missing

Wednesday 19 July 2023 20:00 , Ariana Baio

Investigators in the Hoover Police Department said they have found “no evidence” of the toddler that 25-year-old Carlee Russell said she saw walking alongside the internet alone.

Ms Russell disappeared after pulling off the interstate to assist the toddler and called 911 to report it.

However, police said there were no missing toddler reports and no other drivers on the busy road reported a lone child.

Carlee Russell ‘fought for her life’

Wednesday 19 July 2023 19:30 , Ariana Baio

At this time it is unclear what happened to 25-year-old Carlee Russell when she went missing last Thursday around 9.30pm.

But when she returned home two days later, on foot – she had clearly been through an ordeal.

Ms Russell returned home “unresponsive but breathing’ according to authorities in the Hoover Police Department.

Ms Russell’s mother, Talitha Russell, told WVTM that her daughter needed medical attention when she first arrived.

“We tried to hug her as best we could, but I had to stand back, because she was not in a good state, so I had to stand back and let medical professionals work with her," Talitha said.

Talitha told TODAY that her daughter “definitely fought for her life” saying that she had been kidnapped.

“There were moments when she physically had to for her life and there were moments where she had to mentally fight for her life.”

Boyfriend claims woman who vanished on side of highway was kidnapped

Wednesday 19 July 2023 19:00 , Ariana Baio

The boyfriend of an Alabama woman who went missing after stopping to help a child on the highway and who mysteriously returned two days later has claimed she was kidnapped.

Shweta Sharma reports:

Boyfriend claims woman who vanished on side of highway was kidnapped

Unanswered questions about Carlee Russell’s disappearance

Wednesday 19 July 2023 18:30 , Ariana Baio

Carlee Russell’s mysterious disappearance and return have sparked a myriad of questions.

The 25-year-old was allegedly ‘kidnapped’ for two days after pulling off the side of the interstate to assist a toddler that she claimed was walking alone in a diaper.

Police found Ms Russell’s vehicle unlocked and unattended when they arrived at the scene. For 49 hours, an extensive search was conducted for Ms Russell.

But just two days later, Ms Russell returned home on foot, “unresponsive but breathing.”

Police have now said they have no evidence of a toddler walking along the road, or any missing toddler being reported.

Questions about the case remain like: Why did Ms Russell pull over if there was no toddler? Did she actually see a toddler and if not what did she see? Was she kidnapped? Who kidnapped her? What happened to her? How is she doing now?

The Hoover Police Department is expected to answer some questions regarding Ms Russell this afternoon in a press conference.

Carlee Russell

Wednesday 19 July 2023 18:00 , Ariana Baio

Surveillance video shows Carlee Russell returning home

Wednesday 19 July 2023 17:30 , Ariana Baio

Detectives in the Hoover Police Department said they obtained surveillance footage of Ms Russell returning home two days after being ‘kidnapped’.

The footage, obtained from a neighbour shows Ms Russell “walking down the sidewalk alone”.

Police were dispatched to Ms Russell’s home when she returned where they found her “unresponsive but breathing.”

Ms Russell mysteriously disappeared after pulling her car off on the interstate to help a toddler who she claimed was walking along the interstate alone and in a diaper.

It is unclear what happened to Ms Russell in the two days she was missing but police are expected to give an update this afternoon.

Carlee Russell’s employer breaks silence on ‘sensitive’ investigation into her bizarre disappearance

Wednesday 19 July 2023 17:00 , Ariana Baio

A beauty spa where nursing student Carlee Russell was working on the night she vanished from the side of an Alabama interstate says it is cooperating with a “sensitive” police investigation into her disappearance.

Ms Russell, 25, left the Woodhouse Spa in the Summit luxury shopping mall in Birmingham at about 8.20pm on 13 July, according to authorities.

In a statement to WVTM, Woodhouse Spa owner Stuart Rome said he had turned over “everything we uncovered” to the Hoover Police Department.

Bevan Hurley reports:

Carlee Russell’s employer breaks silence on investigation into bizarre disappearance

Police say they can discuss ‘details’ not previously spoken about

Wednesday 19 July 2023 16:30 , Ariana Baio

In a post on Facebook, the Hoover Police Department said they can discuss several details about the Carlee Russell case that they did not speak to earlier.

This includes how authorities found no evidence of a missing toddler or any toddler walking down the interstate nor did they find evidence that Ms Russell stopped to get snacks before going missing.

Police also said they obtained surveillance video from Ms Russell’s neighbourhood showing her walking down the sidewalk alone before arriving at her family’s home.

“We understand that there are numerous rumors and misinformation making the rounds in both social media and traditional media. While we understand the public interest in this incident, we must maintain the integrity of the case, thus we are limited in what information or statements we can release or confirm at this time,” police wrote.

What police found when they located Carlee Russell’s car

Wednesday 19 July 2023 16:00 , Ariana Baio

Authorities in Alabama were dispatched to the location of 25-year-old Carlee Russell’s vehicle which was pulled off on the side of an interstate after Ms Russell called 911 claiming a toddler was walking along the road.

Police officers arrived on the scene five minutes after Ms Russell called to find her wig, cellphone and purse along the road. Inside her bag was an Apple Watch.

Before she went missing, authorities determined Ms Russell stopped by a store to buy snacks but noticeably missing from her vehicle were said snacks.

“These items were not located in the vehicle or with her cellphone and wig at the scene of her disappearance,” the police statement read.

The Hoover Police Department is expected to give an update to the case in a press conference at 3.30pm ET on Wednesday

Carlee Russell was ‘unresponsive but breathing’ when she returned home

Wednesday 19 July 2023 15:30 , Ariana Baio

Carlee Russell vanished from Interstate 459 just after 9.30pm on Thursday 13 July, sparking a massive search operation as authorities and family held grave fears for her safety.

The Hoover Police Department said they received a 911 call from the home Ms Russell shares with her parents at 10.44pm on Saturday to say she had returned home on foot.

Ms Russell was “unresponsive but breathing”, according to police dispatch audio obtained by Mail Online.

Emergency services responded and took Ms Russell to UAB Hospital for treatment before she was released.

Detectives conducted a preliminary interview with Ms Russell at the hospital, but no further details have been released by authorities about where she was.

Her boyfriend Thomar Latrell Simmons has claimed she was kidnapped and had been “fighting for her life” for 48 hours.

Carlee Russell was supposedly helping a child, police say differently

Wednesday 19 July 2023 15:00 , Ariana Baio

Nursing student Carlee Russell, 25, vanished without a trace from the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover on the night of 13 July – just moments after she called 911 saying she had spotted a toddler alone on the road.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Ms Russell’s car still running and her cell phone and wig close by, but no sign of the 25-year-old.

A huge search operation was launched to try to track down the missing woman, with her family begging the public to come forward with any information.

Investigators in Alabama have found “no evidence” that Ms Russell was trying to help a toddler walking along a highway at the time of her mysterious disappearance.

On the night she disappeared, Hoover police said that the 25-year-old left her workplace and ordered food from nearby restaurant The Colonnade.

After stopping by The Colonnade, she went to the Target on Highway 280 and bought some snacks, police said.

These items were not found inside her abandoned vehicle along the highway nor were they found with her cellphone and wig at the scene of her disappearance.

Police said that the investigation had uncovered no evidence of a toddler walking down the interstate and had not received any additional calls about a wandering child – despite surveillance footage capturing numerous other vehicles passing through the area around that time.

Press conference scheduled for 2:30pm cst today.

Wednesday 19 July 2023 14:45 , Ariana Baio

Hoover Police will provide an update about the Carlee Russell case at 2.30pm CST / 3.30pm ET in a press conference on Wednesday.

Timeline in the Carlee Russell case

Wednesday 19 July 2023 14:30 , Ariana Baio

13 July, 8.20pm – Carlee Russell leaves her workplace, Summitt in Birmingham.

Ms Russell then went to order food from The Colonnade, a local business.

9.34pm – Ms Russell calls Hoover Police Department to report a toddler walking alongside interstate

Ms Russell also called her brother’s girlfriend and told her she was pulling over to check on the toddler.

9.36pm – Police believe Ms Russell goes missing sometime after this.

14 July, 4.06pm – Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issues a missing persons advisory

15 July, 10.44pm – Ms Russell returned home to her parent’s house on foot

Carlee Russell’s boyfriend claims she was kidnapped

Wednesday 19 July 2023 14:00 , Ariana Baio

Thomar Latrell Simmons, the boyfriend of Carlee Russell, claimed in a Facebook post that she was kidnapped and was “fighting for her life for 48 hours” after going missing.

Mr Simmons said his girlfriend is not “physically or mentally stable” at the moment to speak about her ordeal or about the alleged kidnapper, sharing their photographs.

“I don’t even know how to start off this post but to only say thank you to my lord & savior Jesus Christ for saving my girlfriend’s life!” he said on Sunday.

Watch: Carlee Russell’s mom speaks out

Wednesday 19 July 2023 13:40 , Ariana Baio

Carlee Russell’s parents insist she was kidnapped

Wednesday 19 July 2023 13:20 , Ariana Baio

The parents of Carlee Russell, the 25-year-old Alabama woman who disappeared for 48 hours after reporting that she spotted a child on the side of a highway, have spoken out for the first time since their daughter returned.

“We tried to hug as best we could, but I had to stand back because she was not in a good state,” Talitha Russell told The Daily Beast about seeing her daughter return home. “So we had to stand back and let medical professionals work with her.”

While Ms Russell has been reported safe, mystery still swirls around what happened in the two days in which she vanished. Her parents and the police haven’t shared what transpired in that period.

Her parents have maintained that she was “absolutely” abducted. “There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life, and there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life,” the mother told the outlet.

“She’s having to deal with the trauma of people just making completely false allegations about her,” she added. “Carlee has given detectives her statement so that they can continue to pursue her abductor.”

Who is Carlee Russell?

Wednesday 19 July 2023 13:16 , Ariana Baio

Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, 25, is at the center of a mysterious missing person case in Alabama.

Ms Russell, who lives with her parents in Hoover, disappeared last Thursday, 13 July, after calling the police to report a toddler walking alongside the interstate alone.

However, upon arrival, authorities found no sign of a toddler or Ms Russell.

For 48 hours, authorities and Ms Russell’s family spent hours frantically searching for her. Then, somehow, the 25-year-old appeared at her family’s home.

While Ms Russell has been reported safe, mystery still swirls around what happened in the two days in which she vanished. Her parents and the police haven’t shared what transpired in that period.

So far, her parent shave maintained that she was “absolutely” abducted.

Ms Russell worked part time at The Woodhouse Spa and was also a student at Jefferson State Community College, where she was studying to be a nurse, according to AL.com.

Catch up with the Carlee Russell case

Wednesday 19 July 2023 13:10 , Ariana Baio

Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell vanished on 13 July after calling 911 to report she had seen a toddler walking on the side of Interstate 459 in Alabama.

The 25-year-old stopped her car to check on the child, and called a family member before losing contact, according to the Hoover Police Department.

By the time officers arrived five minutes later, Ms Russell had disappeared with her car engine still running, and the toddler was nowhere to be found.

Law enforcement and family mounted a desperate search for the missing woman and pleaded with the public for help.

Then just over 48 hours later, police were notified that Ms Russell had returned home on foot.

Bevan Hurley reports:

What really happened to Carlee Russell?

Alabama police find ‘no evidence’ Carlee Russell was trying to help toddler on highway when she disappeared

Wednesday 19 July 2023 13:07 , Ariana Baio

Investigators in Alabama have found “no evidence” that Carlee Russell was trying to help a toddler walking along a highway at the time of her mysterious disappearance, it has been revealed.

Nursing student Ms Russell, 25, vanished without a trace from the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover on the night of 13 July – just moments after she called 911 saying she had spotted a toddler alone on the road.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Ms Russell’s car still running and her cell phone and wig close by, but no sign of the 25-year-old.

Rachel Sharp reports:

Alabama police find ‘no evidence’ Carlee Russell was trying to help toddler