Alabama woman who disappeared after reporting child along interstate found

HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — The search for a 25-year-old woman in Alabama has come to an end after authorities say she returned home, ending a two-day search.

Carlethia “Carlee” Russell called police Thursday night, reporting that she had seen a toddler walking along I-459 in Hoover, Alabama, a city just outside of Birmingham. She then called a family member to tell them she was stopping to check on the child, police said.

“The family member lost contact with the caller, but the line remained open,” Lt. Daniel Lowe of the Hoover Police said at a news conference on Friday.

Police found Russell’s car and some of her belongings near the scene, but were unable to find her or the child. There had also been no reports of a missing child that night.

A witness, meanwhile, had reported seeing a man and a gray vehicle near the area where Russell reported seeing the toddler, Lowe said.

Russell’s parents, Talitha and Carlos Russell, told Nexstar’s WIAT they believed that Russell was intentionally lured out of her car and abducted after spotting a toddler walking alongside the edge of the interstate.

“The phone call that she last had with one of our relatives, they heard her scream,” Talitha Russell told WIAT.

Dozens of authorities and community members had been searching for Russell since Thursday night. Over $50,000 in rewards was offered by Crime Stoppers, the Birmingham Association of Realtors, an anonymous source, and individual donations.

Police say Russell returned to the Hoover home she shares with her parents around 10:45 p.m. Saturday. She arrived alone and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Additional details were not immediately released.