Carlee Russell update: Confusion reigns over ‘kidnapping’ case after missing woman’s search history revealed
Carlee Russell’s mom speaks up
Alabama police have expressed doubt over Carlee Russell’s claim that she was abducted from the side of an interstate highway last week, saying she appears to have made internet searches relating to kidnappings prior to the incident.
Hoover police chief Nick Derzis said in a press conference that investigators were “unable to verify” most of the 25-year-old’s statements relating to the events, which she says began when she pulled over to the side of Interstate 459 to help a lost toddler.
Shortly before Ms Russell went missing on 13 July, she had called 911 to report seeing the infant walking barefoot and alone alongside the busy road.
However, authorities have found no evidence of any such child and have not been able to prove Ms Russell was kidnapped.
Mr Derzis detailed Ms Russell’s peculiar search history on Wednesday, saying she had searched for the movie Taken and Amber Alerts, raising the possibility she may have faked her alleged ordeal.
She has refused to be interviewed a second time but initially told police she was forced into an 18-wheeler truck and taken to a home where a man and woman forced her to strip and photographed her.
Four unanswered questions in the mysterious case of Carlee Russell
Hoover police chief Nick Derzis told reporters that authorities were “unable to verify” most of the statements that Ms Russell gave police about her whereabouts during the 49 hours she was missing.
Ms Russell initially disappeared on 13 July after pulling her vehicle over on Interstate 459 after claiming she saw a toddler walking alone.
She called 911 to report the child and told authorities she was pulling her vehicle over to make sure the child was safe. After that, she went missing for two days.
Authorities conducted a massive search for Ms Russell which ended on 15 July when Ms Russell arrived back home, on foot.
Ms Russell told police and her family she was kidnapped but in a bombshell press conference, police expressed doubt over her story saying there was limited evidence to prove this.
“What we can say is that we’ve been unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statements made to investigators, and we have no reason to believe that there is no threat to public safety,” Mr Derzis said.
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 13:30
Carlee Russell’s boyfriend deletes social media posts
The boyfriend of Carlee Russell has seemingly deleted social media posts containing photos or mentions of Ms Russell after police cast doubt over her allegations that she was kidnapped.
Ms Russell, 25, told police she was kidnapped on 13 July after pulling over on the side of the interstate to help a toddler who she claims was walking alone.
Two days later, on 15 July, she returned home.
Her boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons posted on Facebook announcing her return and attesting to her claim that she was kidnapped. He wrote that Ms Russell had been “fighting for her life for 48 hours” and not “physically or mentally stable” enough to speak about her kidnapping.
“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.
But after Hoover police revealed they were unable to verify most of Ms Russell’s story on Wednesday, Mr Simmons deleted his posts from Facebook and Instagram.
Mr Simmons did not make any follow-up posts indicating why he deleted his content of Ms Russell.
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 13:00
Could Carlee Russell face consequences?
Police in Hoover, Alabama have said they were unable to verify most of Carlee Russell’s claims that she was kidnapped after pulling off to the side of the road while reporting a toddler was walking alone, leading to questions about whether she may face charges.
While police have not made any official allegations against Ms Russell, should they find that she made a false report, law enforcement could choose to charge her.
Section 13A-10-9 of the Alabama criminal code states that making a false report to law enforcement, knowingly, is a Class A misdemeanour.
When asked if law enforcement was planning on charging Ms Russell on Wednesday, Hoover police chief Nick Derzis replied: “To be perfectly honest with you, that hasn’t even entered our mind or been discussed.”
Mr Derzis said the priority of their investigation was to return Ms Russell home safely and find out where she was in the two days she was missing.
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 12:30
Four unanswered questions in the mysterious case of Carlee Russell
Law enforcement in Hoover, Alabama left the public with more questions than answers after a press conference on Wednesday in which they revealed Carlee Russell’s disappearance and kidnapping may have been fabricated.
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 12:00
Carlee Russell drove for 600 yards along an interstate while telling 911 she was following toddler, police say
Carlee Russell drove 600 yards (548m) along an Alabama interstate while on the phone to a 911 operator claiming that she was following a lost toddler, authorities have revealed.
The 25-year-old told detectives she was abducted by a man with “orange hair” who appeared from the side of Interstate 459 after stopping to help a “baby boy in a diaper” just after 9.30pm on 13 July.
She turned up on foot at her parent’s home in Hoover two days later with $107 tucked in her right sock, and claimed she had barely survived after being forced to strip naked before escaping from her kidnappers.
Data from Ms Russell’s cellphone showed she had driven the length of six football fields while talking to police dispatch, an incredulous Hoover Police Department chief Nicholas Derzis said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“To think that a toddler, barefoot, that could be three or four years old is going to travel six football fields without getting on the roadway, without crying… it’s very hard for me to understand,” Mr Derzis said.
Maroosha Muzaffar21 July 2023 11:30
Carlee Russell: Police give timeline of disappearance
Carlee Russell: Police give timeline of disappearance
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 11:00
Boyfriend of Carlee Russell deletes social media posts after police cast doubt over her kidnapping story
Two days later, on 15 July, she returned home.
Her boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons posted on Facebook announcing her return and attesting to her claim that she was kidnapped. He wrote that Ms Russell had been “fighting for her life for 48 hours” and not “physically or mentally stable” enough to speak about her kidnapping.
“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.
Maroosha Muzaffar21 July 2023 10:30
ICYMI: Carlee Russell claimed she was kidnapped by a man with orange hair. Police say they can’t verify any of it
Carlee Russell vanished after calling 911 to report seeing a young boy in diapers on the side of a busy interstate. Police say they have serious doubts about her story.
What really happened to Carlee Russell?
Carlee Russell vanished after calling 911 to report seeing a young boy in diapers on the side of a busy interstate. Police say they have serious doubts about her story, Bevan Hurley reports
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 10:00
Four unanswered questions in the mysterious case of Carlee Russell
Hoover police chief Nick Derzis told reporters that authorities were “unable to verify” most of the statements that Ms Russell gave police about her whereabouts during the 49 hours she was missing.
Ms Russell initially disappeared on 13 July after pulling her vehicle over on Interstate 459 after claiming she saw a toddler walking alone.
She called 911 to report the child and told authorities she was pulling her vehicle over to make sure the child was safe. After that, she went missing for two days.
Authorities conducted a massive search for Ms Russell which ended on 15 July when Ms Russell arrived back home, on foot.
Maroosha Muzaffar21 July 2023 09:30
Police: ‘No reason to believe there is a threat to public’
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.”
Ariana Baio21 July 2023 09:00
