Newly released audio reveals Carlee Russell assuring a 911 dispatcher she'd remain on the interstate until officers arrived. This follows the 25-year-old's disappearance on July 13th after reporting a toddler wandering alone along I-459 South near Birmingham, Alabama. Russell contacted a family member after the 911 call, then the conversation abruptly ended, though the line stayed open. She reappeared at home around 10:45 p.m. on July 15th and was briefly hospitalized. Police have found no evidence supporting the toddler sighting.
In the 911 recording, Russell describes seeing a small child, possibly three or four years old, wearing a white T-shirt and what appeared to be a diaper. Responding officers discovered Russell's vehicle and belongings, but she was gone.
Russell later recounted being abducted by a man with orange hair and a bald spot who emerged from the trees. She claimed he forced her into a vehicle and she briefly remembers being in an 18-wheeler trailer. She alleges escaping, only to be recaptured and placed in another car. She described being blindfolded but not bound, taken to a house, undressed, and possibly photographed.
According to police, Russell said she was given cheese crackers by a woman who played with her hair before she managed another escape near her home. She had $107 in her sock. Data from her phone reveals she traveled 600 yards while on the 911 call about the toddler.
Police Chief Nick Derzis revealed concerning internet searches made by Russell prior to the incident. These included queries about Amber Alerts, taking money from a cash register undetected, and the movie "Taken," a film about a kidnapping. She also looked up one-way bus tickets from Birmingham to Nashville for the day of her disappearance. The chief noted the unusual nature of these searches, especially the "Taken" movie search so close to the event.
It was also discovered that Russell took items from her workplace, including a bathrobe and toilet paper, shortly before the 911 call.
