Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old Black woman from Alabama who was reported missing late last week, has been found alive and currently receiving treatment at a local hospital for evaluation. Carlee Russell was first reported missing last Thursday (July 13) but was found and returned home Saturday evening (July 15).
As reported by local news outlet WVTM, Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell reportedly made a 911 call saying that she saw a toddler wandering near a local interstate exit on her way home from her job at a nearby day spa. Russell was said to have stopped to speak to the child after speaking with her family who then lost contact with her. Russell’s car later was found intact at the site of the reported missing child but neither she nor the child was located.
Alarms were raised because many online noted that a common tactic used by human traffickers is to have a child or person looking lost in a remote or unoccupied area as bait. A trucker also told authorities they saw Russell’s car and that a grey vehicle pulled up in front of it.
A report from AL.com adds that Russell returned home Saturday to her family’s home in Hoover, Ala., and she was then taken to a hospital for treatment. It isn’t known where Russell was or what occurred in the time two days that she was reported missing. Russell was apparently on the phone with her brother’s girlfriend when she reportedly spotted the toddler near I-459.
On Twitter, speculation over the case of Carlee Russell prompted a number of responses ranging from concern and then skepticism. There were even some believing the incident was a hoax.
If further details are revealed to the public, we will update this post. For now, please see some of the reactions from Twitter.
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