The case of the Alabama woman who went missing after supposedly helping a toddler on the interstate just took a MAJOR turn.
The Hoover Police Department shocked everyone during an afternoon press conference by expressing some serious doubt regarding the story being told by Carlethia “Carlee” Russell. As we reported, the 25-year-old pulled over on Interstate 459 outside Birmingham on Thursday night after allegedly seeing a male toddler walking alone along the highway. Scary stuff! But it got more haunting.
She would go on to vanish without a trace, abandoning her car. Her family and the local community were in a frenzy trying to find her, naturally assuming she was in some kind of danger related to the child. Then on Saturday, she suddenly showed up at her family’s home. It was a miracle… or was it?
Related: Boyfriend Claims Carlee WAS Kidnapped On Highway & ‘Fought For Her Life’
No one could’ve predicted the bomb Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis just dropped. On Wednesday, he said in a press conference that Carlee’s browser history leading up to the day she disappeared was “strange,” and while they aren’t outright saying she made the whole thing up — it definitely feels like they’re implying it!
First off, they noted it’s a bit odd how dodgy how she’s apparently unwilling to speaking to law enforcement after her ordeal:
“She’s not ready to talk, is what we’ve been told.”
But Carlee’s search history is the real eyebrow-raiser. She googled if you “have to pay for an Amber Alert” and how old the age limit is on them. Along with this, she searched “how to take money from a register without being caught,” and looked up the plot of Liam Neeson‘s iconic movie Taken. You know, the one about a kidnapped young woman. She even seemingly snagged a bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville for the night she disappeared.
Hmm…
Police went on to say she left her workplace the afternoon of her disappearance with a robe and toilet paper, then went to Target to grab some snacks. None of these items were found at the scene of her disappearance with the rest of her belongings. Almost like she was prepping for a motel stay?
While the alleged kidnapping victim’s family still maintains their loved one was Taken — sorry, taken — the police seem pretty confident there’s no imminent danger, saying:
“[There is] no reason to believe there’s a threat to public safety.”
When asked if there is an abductor on the loose that locals need to be wary of, Chief Derzis said the police there “don’t believe so.”
Damn!
So there’s no real kidnapper — and with the search history… and her unwillingness to talk, it definitely all adds up to her making it all up! If so, the next main question would be WHY? We mean, what could she have to gain from this?? Was she trying to fake a dramatic disappearance just to start again somewhere else?
At the end of the conference, the chief said there are still many questions, and the investigation is still currently ongoing — but for now “only Carlee can provide those answers.” Whoa…
Ch-ch-check out the entire conference (below):
That’s one hell of a plot twist! Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Fox 5 Atlanta/YouTube Movies & TV/YouTube]
