Carlee Russell went missing in Alabama the night before the video footage of her stopping on a highway to aid a youngster was made public. The video in question showed Carlee Russell stopping on the highway to assist the child.
The video was obtained from an online business known as Traffic Cam Archive, which records, catalogs, preserves, and ultimately sells material captured by traffic cameras.
Russell, who is 25 years old, has not been seen since she contacted 911 in Hoover, Alabama, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Thursday to report a child strolling on Interstate 459, and she has not been heard from since.
She first phoned 911, then called her brother’s girlfriend, and then she stopped to check on the youngster who was either three or four years old. According to the member of the child’s family with whom she was having the phone conversation, she heard Russell ask the youngster whether they were all right. Then they heard Carlee cry, and the phone immediately went silent after that. Following then, the only sound that they could hear was the sound of traffic.
When the police arrived, they discovered that her red Mercedes was running, and that several of her belongings, including her phone, were still in the vehicle. However, neither Russell nor the child she claimed to have seen strolling along the roadway could be located.
On Saturday, Chief of Police Nick Derzis stated that they are working to improve the video in order to locate other clues about where Russell went.
“It shows that Carlee’s car was there,” said Derzis, “and we know that she wasn’t there when the police came after the 911 call.”
He stated that she was still missing, and that the search for her was their primary objective. “At this time, we are putting every single one of our resources to use.”
According to Derzis, “We’re working closely with the family to make sure they know what we’re doing.” They are independently generating a significant number of leads, which they then share with us.
On Saturday night, the Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama organization announced that the reward for information leading to Russell’s safe return had been increased to a total of $58,260.95.