Woman returns home following disappearance after reporting child on Interstate 459 in Hoover
Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell – Photo from Hoover Police Department
A woman has returned home after being the focus of a two-day search by police and family who reported her missing after she stopped to check on a child who she said was walking along Interstate 459 in Hoover.
Police said 25- year-old Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell had returned to the home she shares with her parents in Hoover, AL.com reported late Saturday night.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said Russell arrived home alone and was transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Russell’s whereabouts were not immediately clear since around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when she called 911 and a family member to say she saw a young child walking on the side of I-459.
Police found Russell’s car and her cell phone but were unable to find her or a child in the area.
Hoover Police Lt. Daniel Lowe said the family member on the phone with Russell lost contact with her even though the line remained open. A single witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside of Carlee’s vehicle, but they had no additional information.
Police asked people to report any information they might have about her disappearance, while family members organized a search in the area.
Talitha Russell told AL.com that her daughter was headed home after leaving work and stopping to get food. She was on the phone with her brother’s girlfriend when she said she saw a child on the roadside.
“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.”
During the search there were two separate rewards of $20,000 and $5,000 for information assisting Hoover’s safe return, police said.
(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
