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The Hoover Police Department held a press conference Wednesday (July 19) and officially called into question Carlee Russell’s story. Officials suggest her Google searches show she may have been looking to leave the area on her own accord.
Authorities also released her 911 call in its entirety during Wednesday’s presser.
They say that during that call, Carlee drove about 600 yards–about the length of six football fields — as she was allegedly following the child she says she saw.
More unsettling were her Google searches made on her cellphone just before the time she went missing.
Police say on July 13, the day she disappeared, she searched for “how to take money from a register without being caught,” two searches related to Amber Alerts and the maximum age for such alerts.
She also reportedly searched for the movie “Taken,” a 2008 movie where a father’s estranged daughter is taken into sex slavery by human traffickers shortly after they arrive in Paris for vacation.
Carlee also allegedly searched for bus tickets from Birmingham to Nashville, with a departure date set for the very day she went missing.
Authorities also revealed a bit more information on Carlee’s story.
She claims that after approaching the toddler, a man grabbed her and took her into the woods. She then told police in her initial interview that she was placed in an 18-wheeler.
Investigators said there wasn’t any evidence to suggest that a toddler was walking down Interstate 459 beyond Carlee’s 911 call, according to a press release sent out Tuesday (July 19).
She said a woman was also there, but she could only hear her voice and never actually saw her. She described the man as having orange hair with a bald spot.
Hoover PD say they have since requested a follow-up interview with her. However, they say they have been denied that request by Carlee herself.
They went on to say that they could not verify her initial statement regarding the 18-wheeler and orange-haired man. A police official added that there is no threat to the public in this particular case.
When asked whether charges might be filed against Carlee for wasting state and federal resources, a Hoover PD official said they were just happy that she is home, and that was their goal throughout the entirety of this case.
The official said only Carlee can truly say what really happened to her during those 49 hours she went missing.
They added that they respect her privacy and will not release any further information gleaned from her cellphone.
The Shade Room initially reported on the case after she turned up at her parent’s home on Saturday (July 15) after disappearing on July 13.
Her parents had gone on record before Wednesday’s news. They had previously insisted that Carlee had been abducted. Her parents also said that she “definitely fought for her life” in an interview with NBC News.
This is a developing story, Be sure to check back in with The Shade Room for more updates as they come.
