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The Hoover Police Department in Alabama is conducting a search for 25-year-old Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell. According to the department, Russell disappeared after she placed a 911 call reporting “a toddler walking on the side of the interstate.”
According to a Facebook post made by the Hoover Police Department on Friday, the station received a call from the 25-year-old on Thursday evening. During the call, Russell explained that she was “on I-459 South near mile marker 11” when she spotted a “toddler walking on the side of the interstate.”
After hanging up with authorities, the station reports that Russell approached the child while calling a family member to “report the same details.”
However, during the call, the family member reportedly “lost contact” with Russell “but the line remained open.”
“She called 911 when she pulled over. She got out of the car. I think she probably let her guard down thinking 911 would be there in a second,” Russell’s mother, Talitha Russell, told Alabama Local.
Talitha Russell explained that her daughter was speaking with her brother’s girlfriend. However, the girlfriend ” never heard the child say anything” and instead heard the 25-year-old “scream.”
“My son’s girlfriend heard her asking the child, ‘Are you Ok?’ She never heard the child say anything but then she heard our daughter scream. From there all you hear on her phone is background noise from the interstate.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they found her car and “some of her belongings nearby.” However, they were unable to locate Russell or the toddler.
Additionally, the station added that they haven’t received any reports of a missing child.
According to the police department’s report, authorities are requesting the help of the public in locating Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell. Additionally, they add that she is five foot four and weighs between 150-160 pounds.
Furthermore, they also add that during the time of her disappearance, she was wearing “a black shirt, black pants, and white Nike shoes.”
Thus far, a truck driver has reported seeing Russell’s car door left open and “a tall brown skinned man with khaki shorts on leaning over in the car.”
Russell’s mother adds that “police did find some tire tracks in the grass.” However, they have yet to determine “what type of vehicle it could have been.”
Anyone who may have seen the woman, or has information regarding Russell’s whereabouts, is encouraged to call Detective Brad Fountain at 205-444-7562.
