Found Alive AL - Carlethia “Carlee” Russell, 25, 911 call reported toddler walking on side of interstate, car found, she & toddler gone, Birmingham, 13 Jul ‘23

[T4Tide]

I missed the 8am search party. Trying to decide if I should head over now or if I’d just be in the way

 

[dotr]

 

[Fuhgetabouddit]

Law enforcement didn't release the video. It's from a public traffic livestream. There's a site that records it and anybody can pay $250 an hour for access to the recording, which is what a TV station did so that's how we got the video.

Thank you for that info, this makes so much more sense as to how or why it was released.

 

[Megnut]

Chills. Was there a car that she pulled up behind. WITHOUT LIGHTS. That then pulled into traffic.

Jmo

 

[Knox]

It appears to be a quick 5 minute drive from The Summit to Tatziki's at the Colonnade. If she left work at 8:20 and grabbed her take out at 9, what was she doing for the 35 minutes or so between leaving work and grabbing take out? Who did she see? Who did she talk to? Was the restaurant super busy and had a crazy wait time for take out? If not, did she meet up with anyone before heading over to the restaurant after work?

She talked to her Mom at 9:18. In a video Mom says something about the food order was wrong and Carlee told her she would give her the food.

I’ll see if I can find the post. Was the food in the car? Cops didn’t mention that. But the call to Mom time stamps that portion of events.

 

[Knox]

Thank you for that info, this makes so much more sense as to how or why it was released.

Someone linked the site a few posts ago.

 

[PixieStix]

Good eyes. Really bizarre video, and doesn't really line up with the "gray car" story. I'm starting to believe she walked off on her own, either into the woods or beyond the exit. Even with the darkness and terrible quality, I still think we'd see something more on this video if someone were abducting her right then and there.

If only it were 30 min earlier and a hair brighter, we'd know exactly what happened

I agree! I’m starting to think whatever happened to her she must gone/been taken into those woods. There is too much traffic with her being so close to the road for someone to have put her in a car and drive off and no one noticed. Especially if there was a struggle. Not ruling it out but I just don’t see evidence of another car. Then again the whole idea of the toddler being bait in that location is just so random. A perpetrator couldn’t control who would stop to help the child. Anyone could have stopped. It just all doesn’t add up to me. I’m sure there is more video we haven’t seen.

 

[AllisonS]

Maybe. But I always remember the case of a missing college student (so sorry I don't remember her name!). LE released a video of her last known sighting at sort of an outdoor mall type place at night. WSers (and perhaps others in the public) spotted someone watching her - and that person turned out to be the killer! And they linked him to another murder, which LE seemed to dismiss at first but it turned out to be true.

I hope someone can remind me of the victim's name. I think the first victim's name was Morgan. I don't remember the name, though I do remember thinking WSers were off-base seeing things in the video....but they were right!

jmo

Maybe. But I always remember the case of a missing college student (so sorry I don't remember her name!). LE released a video of her last known sighting at sort of an outdoor mall type place at night. WSers (and perhaps others in the public) spotted someone watching her - and that person turned out to be the killer! And they linked him to another murder, which LE seemed to dismiss at first but it turned out to be true.

I hope someone can remind me of the victim's name. I think the first victim's name was Morgan. I don't remember the name, though I do remember thinking WSers were off-base seeing things in the video....but they were right!

jmo

You're referencing the Hannah Graham case.

 

[justinkjones1993]

So according to the released video we have:

- Carlee's vehicle traveling for a long distance with hazard lights flashing.
- No other vehicles pulling over near her.
- No gray car or man.
- No child visible.
- No visible abduction or struggle taking place.
- Carlee moving around the vehicle and disappearing shortly after.

To me, if we're going to talk about an abduction, you need to present some evidence that it took place. So far, there's none. The fact that there were that many vehicles on the interstate at that time, I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to think a violent abduction was taking place where they slapped off her wig and watch, and presumably stuffed her in a vehicle, and nobody reported seeing this. Nor did they report seeing the supposed child.

I don't understand why so many people here are being dismissive of the psychotic break theory when we've seen cases almost exactly like this that ended up being psychotic breaks. Teleka Patrick, Elisa Liam, Lars Mittank, and so on.

If Carlee is the only person who reported seeing a child, and possibly hundreds of other passing motorists did not, the most likely explanation is that she didn't actually see one.

 

[Cubby]

That is the blinker reflection from another car. Look to the left of flowing traffic, it’s in sync.

I saw a lot of reflection in the video.

 

[iamnotagolem]

Chills. Was there a car that she pulled up behind. WITHOUT LIGHTS. That then pulled into traffic.

Jmo

I've watched the video so many times watching headlights to see if any shut off and pull over ahead of her, to see if any were there before here, if any show up behind her. I've found nothing to indicate another vehicle.

The only thing I notice that I haven't seen mentioned here is at 1:50-1:52 in the video there seems to be something that appears in the ditch ahead of her car between her car and the signs up ahead. It only is there briefly, I can see it as a couple of vehicles pass then not again, so I can't tell if it's just artifacts in the video or if there is really something in the ditch. I'll link the video below, just because I've watched it on so many sites and the timestamps on this match with the 1:50 I referenced.

VIDEO: Traffic camera video on I-459 at time of Carlee Nichole Russell's disappearance

www.live5news.com

 

[AllisonS]

View attachment 434822

* I think I see two people by the door.

The tree line is very close to the road. It was hard to see that in the nighttime video. It would be super easy for someone to be in the tree line (child or adult).

 

[Lawette32]

So according to the released video we have:

- Carlee's vehicle traveling for a long distance with hazard lights flashing.
- No other vehicles pulling over near her.
- No gray car or man.
- No child visible.
- No visible abduction or struggle taking place.
- Carlee moving around the vehicle and disappearing shortly after.

To me, if we're going to talk about an abduction, you need to present some evidence that it took place. So far, there's none. The fact that there were that many vehicles on the interstate at that time, I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to think a violent abduction was taking place where they slapped off her wig and watch, and presumably stuffed her in a vehicle, and nobody reported seeing this. Nor did they report seeing the supposed child.

I don't understand why so many people here are being dismissive of the psychotic break theory when we've seen cases almost exactly like this that ended up being psychotic breaks. Teleka Patrick, Elisa Liam, Lars Mittank, and so on.

If Carlee is the only person who reported seeing a child, and possibly hundreds of other passing motorists did not, the most likely explanation is that she didn't actually see one.

So if it wasn’t an abduction, let’s work through the other options. If it was a psychotic break, do we assume she ran into the woods and killed herself? Wouldn’t she be found quite quickly?

 

[Fuhgetabouddit]

Someone linked the site a few posts ago.

Yes I was able to see that one. I’m not really able to make out much more from the first one posted, except that she did clearly open one of the passenger doors. I could not see that at all in the previous videos. Maybe as she rounded to that side and was sure she was seeing something, she went back in from that side for her phone to make the 911 call?

 

[Knox]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>


It's at this link, she's wearing her watch.

Carlee Russell: What we know after she vanished on I-459 in Hoover, returned home

Hoover police said they have found no evidence of a public threat after she said she was kidnapped.

www.al.com

 

[musicaljoke]

I see nothing odd about the way she pulls over. Because it's dark, she needs to come to a stop with care, especially since the shoulder looks narrow. She needs to give drivers coming up behind her lots of time to adjust their driving. I'm sure if I had to pull over at night it would take me just as long to bring the vehicle safely to a stop. And then I'd have to walk back to whatever it was I thought I saw. But, she doesn't walk back down the highway, does she? Her phone call suggests that someone was already at her car.

What I find difficult, is that this wasn't a robbery for her vehicle or her phone or purse. Was it an abduction by someone who didn't care who they nabbed? Did someone out there just want to harm a random human? If so, there are easier ways to accomplish that. There the account of what happened becomes a head scratcher.

 

[justinkjones1993]

So if it wasn’t an abduction, let’s work through the other options. If it was a psychotic break, do we assume she ran into the woods and killer herself? Wouldn’t she be found quite quickly?

There are people who are not found for *years* after running away from a vehicle into the woods. Have you heard of Maura Murray? Missing since Feburary 2004. Brandon Lawson? Missing since 2013.

Let's not assume she's dead so quickly, but in that unfortunate event, it's not necessarily true you would be found quickly. Not at all.

 

[Cubby]

So according to the released video we have:

- Carlee's vehicle traveling for a long distance with hazard lights flashing.
- No other vehicles pulling over near her.
- No gray car or man.
- No child visible.
- No visible abduction or struggle taking place.
- Carlee moving around the vehicle and disappearing shortly after.

To me, if we're going to talk about an abduction, you need to present some evidence that it took place. So far, there's none. The fact that there were that many vehicles on the interstate at that time, I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to think a violent abduction was taking place where they slapped off her wig and watch, and presumably stuffed her in a vehicle, and nobody reported seeing this. Nor did they report seeing the supposed child.

I don't understand why so many people here are being dismissive of the psychotic break theory when we've seen cases almost exactly like this that ended up being psychotic breaks. Teleka Patrick, Elisa Liam, Lars Mittank, and so on.

If Carlee is the only person who reported seeing a child, and possibly hundreds of other passing motorists did not, the most likely explanation is that she didn't actually see one.

I agree. Initially I thought perhaps she was struck by another vehicle but I didn't see any cars remain in the far right lane while passing her.

I have heard nursing school is tough and cut throat competitive. Maybe this was a staged event and she is suffering some type of mental health issue.

 

[Quill]

There are people who are not found for *years* after running away from a vehicle into the woods. Have you heard of Maura Murray? Missing since Feburary 2004. Brandon Lawson? Missing since 2013.

Let's not assume she's dead so quickly, but in that unfortunate event, it's not necessarily true you would be found quickly. Not at all.

Different type of woods and terrain in this situation. There is a road and a neighborhood on the other side of a pretty shallow wooded area.

 

[Cubby]

There are people who are not found for *years* after running away from a vehicle into the woods. Have you heard of Maura Murray? Missing since Feburary 2004. Brandon Lawson? Missing since 2013.

Let's not assume she's dead so quickly, but in that unfortunate event, it's not necessarily true you would be found quickly. Not at all.

Bradley Olsen missing.

Not long ago there was a suspect somewhere near an interstate exchange who ran into the grassy area into a clover like roadway. His skeletal remains were found in a marshy area several months later. I believe it was near where I-290 and I-294 meet. Very crowded Chicago suburb, so it does happen in highly populated areas.

Is there any swampy marshy land near where the car was found?