Photo: Hoover Police
Mystery surrounds the disappearance of an Alabama woman who stopped on a highway to check on a young child walking alone.
According to Fox 10, 25-year-old Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell was reported missing on Thursday (July 13) after she called 911 to report a toddler walking on the side of I-49 South in Hoover, Alabama at around 9:30 p.m., Hoover police said.
Russell also called her sister-in-law around 9:36 p.m. and informed her of the situation, according to her family. The family member lost contact with Russell as she stopped to check on the child on the side of the highway.
“In the process at some point she got out of the car and my daughter-in-law could hear her asking the child if they were OK,” Russell's mother, Talitha Russell, said. “The child did not respond, or at least she did not hear her respond, he or she respond.
“And then she heard our daughter Carlee scream, and from there on all we could hear was noise … background noise in her phone, which we later found out was noise from the interstate.”
Authorities said they found Russell's wig, hat, and phone near her car. Police weren't able find her or a child in the area and haven't received any other calls about a missing child.
Russell's mom said without her wig, her daughter's hair would be braided down to her scalp. Russell is is 5-foot-4, 150-160 pounds, and was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants, and white Nike shoes, according to authorities.
Family members say they have "some indication there may have been a gray vehicle that a trucker saw that pulled in front of Carlee Russell’s car at some point as they were passing along the interstate," Fox10 reports.
“We are trusting God, we are staying positive, we are not allowing any negative thoughts to enter our minds so all that we are doing is trusting God, believe in God that our daughter will be brought home safely,” Talitha Russell said.
Anyone who believes they have information on the case is urged to call Detective Brad Fountain at 205-444-7562.
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