Hoover police said Wednesday that Carlee Russell, an Alabama woman who disappeared for two days, looked up a movie about kidnapping, information about issuing Amber Alerts days and purchasing a bus ticket days before she went missing.
The 25-year-old nursing student told police that she had been held captive in an 18-wheeler by a man and woman after being lured by a wandering toddler. However, authorities have not been able to verify that there was ever a toddler walking on the busy interstate highway. Yet, they confirmed that Russell traveled the equivalent of six football fields while making the report to 911 dispatchers.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said during a press conference regarding the case Wednesday afternoon that there is no reason to be alarmed about the possibility of danger to the public.
“There is no reason to believe there is a threat to public safety,” Derzis said.
Russell’s family reported her missing on Thursday, July 13, after they reportedly heard her screams on the other side of her cellphone.
The woman’s mother Talitha Russell told reporters that she was in her home when her son’s girlfriend suspected something was awry. Talitha said the girlfriend was waiting on the other line during the 911 police call about the purported endangered child.
“There’s just a kid just walking by themself,” Russell told a 911 operator calmly. She described the child as a white male, wearing a white shirt and diaper.
Officials said Russell drove about 600 yards during the call. According to Talitha, that’s when Russell clicked back over to continue her conversation with her brother’s girlfriend before disappearing. She left behind her wig, cellphone, Apple Watch, purse, and the food she ordered.
While police are still trying to piece together what happened during the time she was gone. The chief laid out the details they have been able to gather so far through their investigation.
“This…
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