Carlethia Nichole “Carlee” Robinson Russell, 25, of Hoover, Alabama, United States is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama while working part-time at Woodhouse Spa at the Summit shopping center in Birmingham. She is Carlos Rusell and Talitha Robinson Russell’s daughter and Thomar Latrell Simmons‘s girlfriend.
On July 13, 2023, surveillance cameras at Woodhouse Spa caught her concealing items belonging to the business including toilet paper and a dark-colored bathrobe before leaving work at 8:20 p.m. After work, she picked up dinner at the Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe in the Colonade in Birmingham and bought granola bars and Cheez-Its at the Target on U.S. 280.
At 9:34 p.m., Carlee called 911 to report a male toddler walking on I-459 South, a highway that runs south of Birmingham. After the call, she was on the phone with her brother’s girlfriend, who heard her scream before losing contact with her on the call.
Hoover Police Department officers arrived and found Carlee’s vehicle running with many of her personal belongings inside but neither she nor the child was there. During that period, no children were reported missing and there were no similar calls reporting a toddler spotted in that area.
At 10:44 p.m. on July 15, 2023, Carlee returned home in Hoover alone and on foot and was transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham. According to her, she was abducted by a man with orange hair and a bald spot.
Carlee told detectives she was able to escape her abductor’s 18-wheeler but was caught again and put into a car. She said the abductor was with a woman.
On July 14, 2023, according to Carlee, the woman fed her cheese crackers and played with her hair. Carlee claimed she was blindfolded but her abductors did not tie her up because they said they did not want to leave impressions on her wrists.
Moreover, Carlee claimed her abductors took her into a house and made her get undressed. She said she believes they took pictures of her but she does not remember them having any physical or sexual contact.
After being put back in the vehicle, Carlee was able to escape, according to her. She claimed that she ran through woods before coming out near her residence in Hoover.
The Hoover Police Department enlisted the help of the U.S. Secret Service to analyze data from Carlee’s cellphone. Here is the list of internet searches she made before her disappearance:
- at 7:30 a.m. on July 11, 2023: “Do you have to pay for Amber alert?“
- at 1:03 a.m. on July 13, 2023: “how to take money from a register without being caught“
- at 2:13 a.m. on July 13, 2023: “Birmingham bus station”
- at 2:35 a.m. on July 13, 2023: “1-way ticket from Birmingham to Nashville July 13“
- at 12:10 p.m. on July 13, 2023: “Taken film about abduction”
CONAN Daily 