Good news. The 25-year-old woman who went missing after stopping to help a toddler walking along on the side of the highway has been found alive!
According to WBRC, Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis revealed Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell showed up at her family’s front door late Saturday night. He said he was unsure of how she got there, but no one was with her when she returned. No other details are known about what happened to Carlee, nor is it clear where she had been the past two days. As Derzis said to the outlet:
“She walked up, banged on the door, and that was her.”
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Hoover Police and Fire Department received the call at 10:45 p.m. and responded to the scene to assess Carlee. She was then transported to the local hospital for further evaluation. Meanwhile, the Hoover Police Department noted in a statement on social media that additional information “will be provided when it becomes available.” Derzis also told WBRC that investigators will sit down with Carlee soon to find out what happened:
“The first thing is to give Carlee and family a little time to get themselves back together. 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. Just know that the police department is very happy. We wanted her to come home safe and sound – and we’ll hope that’s what happened here. The investigation portion… we’ll get to, but to me, the main deal is making sure that she got home safe with her family. And I couldn’t be more excited, and I hope the community feels the same way.”
Carlee’s return ended a massive search that grabbed national attention over the past 48 hours. As we previously reported, she was driving home from work in Birmingham on Thursday night when she saw a young child walking along the side of I-459 South near mile marker 11. She contacted law enforcement at around 9:34 p.m. Afterward, Carlee pulled over to check on the toddler and called a family member about the situation. But during the phone call, the relative lost contact with her – but the line was still open. Her mom Talitha Russell told Alabama Local her son’s girlfriend heard screaming at one point:
“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. From there all you hear on her phone is background noise from the interstate.”
A few minutes later, police arrived on the scene and discovered her abandoned car and some of her things nearby. However, there were no signs of Carlee or the toddler anywhere. Investigators also never received a report about a missing child. There was a report from a truck driver who allegedly saw her car with the door open and a gray car pulled over nearby.
We’re so glad that Carlee has been reunited with her family. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Hoover Police Department/Twitter]
