Police in Hoover, Alabama, are trying to pin down exactly what happened to Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, the 25-year-old woman who set off a two-day search after she stopped to check on a child who was walking along a highway on Thursday and disappeared.
And as investigators carry out that process, Russell’s boyfriend issued a strongly worded statement in which he asserted that she had to fight off at least one abductor to come back home alive.
“She was literally fighting for her life for 48 hours, so until she’s physically & mentally stable again she is not able to give any updates or whereabouts on her kidnapper at this very moment,” the boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons, wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, authorities have said finding out what happened to Russell before she disappeared and showed up back home on her own will not be a quick process.
“The goal now is to find out what happened in the 48 or 49 hours after she disappeared a mile from her house and then ended up back at the house, to fill in the gaps,’’ said the local police chief, Nick Derzis.
Simmons for his part thanked Jesus Christ, Hoover police, search parties and all those across the US who helped publicize her disappearance. He also addressed conspiracy theorists who had taken to social to express doubts about the unfolding narrative provided by Russell’s family members and the investigators who assisted them.
Of the search for Russell, Simmons wrote, “I was straight tunnel vision, even when I would get on social media on my downtime & see some of the false allegations & assumptions about me having something to do with her abduction would have me discouraged at times I didn’t give up & kept my faith!”
Russell’s mother, Talitha Robinson, released a statement on Sunday that expressed gratitude for her safety but similarly did not shed light on what had happened to her daughter during her reported disappearance.
“We are so grateful to each of you for all the acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion you have shown Our baby is safe!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Father God,” the statement on Facebook read.
Talitha Russell earlier told AL.com that her daughter was headed home on Thursday, was about 10 miles south of Birmingham, and was stopping for food while chatting with her brother’s girlfriend when she said she saw a child on the side of the interstate.
“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,” Talitha Russell said. “From there, all you hear on her phone is background noise from the interstate.”
The police confirmed the phone call, saying: “The family member lost contact with her, but the line remained open.”
After speaking with her family, Carlethia Russell called a 911 dispatcher. But by the time police arrived, Russell was gone, with her Mercedes left behind and still running.
“Her car door was open,” her mother said. “They found her phone on the ground, along with her wig and her hat.”
The mother said Russell’s Apple watch and her Air Pod earbuds were also left in the car.
A single witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside Russell’s vehicle but offered no additional information. Hoover police did not receive any reports of someone missing a small child.
According to police radio communications, Russell’s family members showed up at an area motel claiming they had received a call from her that she was there. Hoover police, however, said they received a call at 10.45pm that Russell had returned home.
“The first thing is to give Carlee and [her] family a little time to get themselves back together,” the Hoover police chief Derzis told WBRC after Russell’s return. “I know it’s been a tough experience for them. When we think it’s time to sit down and have a conversation with Carlee and try to get some facts, we’ll do that.”
