A young woman named Carlee Russell called 911 in Alabama late at night last week, claiming that she saw a toddler walking down the highway. She then disappeared for two days before returning to the home she shares with her parents sharing an elaborate story about what happened to her.
The details are not adding up and people now suspect it was a hoax.
CBS News has the basic details:
Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, a 25-year-old nursing student who went missing for two days, told police she’d been abducted, but police have not found any evidence of a crime, officials in Alabama said Wednesday…Russell vanished Thursday night after calling 911 to report spotting a toddler on an interstate in Alabama. Russell returned home two days later and the incident gained national attention. She gave a brief statement to police when she returned home, but officers did not press for details out of respect for Russell and her family…Russell told police a man had come out of the woods and mumbled that he was checking on the child, Derzis said. She told officers the man then picked her up and forced her over a fence and into a car.Russell said the next thing she remembers is being in the trailer of a truck with the man, who she said had orange hair, and a woman. She also said could hear a baby crying.Russell told police she escaped, but was recaptured and put into a car and blindfolded. She said she wasn’t tied up, adding that her alleged captors said they didn’t want to leave impressions on her wrists.Russell said she was then taken to a house, where she was undressed. She said she believes that photos were taken of her. The next day, she said, the woman fed her cheese crackers and played with her hair.
One of the most troubling aspects of the story is that Russell did some very specific internet searches before any of this happened.
AL.com reported:
July 11:
At 7:30 a.m. on July 11, two days before Russell disappeared, she searched the term “Do you have to pay for an amber alert.”
July 13:
At 1:03 a.m. on the day of her disappearance, Russell searched the term “How to take money from register without getting caught Reddit” was searched. At 2:13 a.m. that same day, the term “Birmingham bus station” was searched.
Then, at 2:35 a.m., a search for a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville was conducted. At 12:10 p.m., Russell did a search for the movie ‘Taken.’
Read the full timeline of events here.
This video report includes her 911 call:
Here are some Twitter reactions:
If it was a hoax, as it appears to be, the motive is not clear.
Authorities in Alabama are still investigating the incident.
Featured image via YouTube.
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