Alabama police say Carly Russell has found no evidence of a mysterious toddler who wandered off the highway before she disappeared for 49 hours — and says she was seen walking alone near her home when she reappeared.
Carly Russell, 25, disappeared from the side of the I-495 interstate after calling 911 to report the child, but police said Tuesday night there were no other reports or evidence to support that claim.
Officials confirmed that Carly picked up her dinner at a restaurant before arriving at the scene of her disappearance and stopped to buy snacks.
Those snacks were nowhere to be found in or around Carly’s car.
Surveillance footage taken from his neighborhood by police revealed Russell ‘walking alone on the sidewalk’ before arriving at the home he shared with his parents on Saturday night.
Police now say nursing student Carly Russell, 25, who went missing from the side of an interstate in Alabama after being reported to have been seen loitering near her home with a baby on the side of the road.
The images also show the sheer number of officers and members of the public who helped search for the nursing student after her tragic disappearance.
Thomas Simmons and Carly were pictured on a trip to New York City on July 4 – just a week before she disappeared off the side of an interstate in Alabama. Thomas is Carly’s boyfriend
The new details shed more light on what investigators found in the fascinating case, but don’t provide answers about exactly what happened or why Carly disappeared.
Her parents continue to say she was abducted, but police have yet to back up those claims.
On Thursday, Carly left work at The Summit in Birmingham and stopped to grab a bite to eat at a restaurant in The Colonnade before getting on I-495 and heading back to her home in Hoover.
She called 911 at 9:34 p.m. and reported she was stopping on the side of the interstate to look for a child she saw in the area, police said.
Russell’s 911 call was the only report of a child on the interstate at the time, and no children have been reported missing in the area, police said.
After the call, her family said she was on the phone with her brother’s girlfriend, who did not hear a baby but heard Carly Russell’s screams. The line was open but Carlee stopped responding.
Within five minutes of being dispatched, Hoover police officers arrived and found Russell’s wig, cellphone and purse with her Apple Watch inside the driveway near her car.
At 10:44 p.m. Saturday, a 911 caller reported Russell had returned to his parents’ home on foot.
Audio released by police shows that Russell was ‘unresponsive, but breathing’ after officers said he returned to his parents’ home. However, police later said it was information about a dispatcher and that when officers arrived, he was alert.
Russell was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, and was treated and released. Detectives went to Russell’s home and hospital and took a statement from him.
New information has been released in the disappearance of Carly Russell. Her car, still running, was found on the side of an interstate — along with her phone and her wig
His parents Talitha and Carolos Russell (pictured) said they believed the toddler was used as ‘bait’ to lure Russell from his car on Thursday night.
Carly’s boyfriend Thomar Latrell Simmons (left) has revealed he has been ‘fighting for his life for 48 hours’ after she went missing.
Carly returned home on foot Saturday night after being missing for 48 hours
“Details of this statement are part of an ongoing investigation, which is expected to continue over the next few days,” police said in a statement on Monday.
‘During the initial part of the investigation detectives were able to retrace almost all of Carly’s steps up until she disappeared and are confident that the case will continue.’
‘We rejoice with the Russell family as they continue to rest and recover from this situation and ask for their best wishes for privacy.’
But Russell’s parents insist that abductors are behind their daughter’s disappearance.
‘Carly gave her statement to detectives so they could continue to pursue her abductor,’ Talitha Russell, Carly Russell’s mother, said in an interview with the Today Show Tuesday.
When pressed on whether they believe a kidnapper is the culprit in the case, Talitha replies ‘absolutely, absolutely’ as Carly’s father Carlos nods in agreement.
In new interviews, Carly’s parents say they were subjected to cruel taunts and fake messages claiming to have information about their daughter when she went missing.
The Hoover Police Department partnered with many local, state and federal partners in the investigation
The Colonnade restaurant where Russell picked up food before he went missing last Thursday
Talitha Russell said, ‘There have been calls and texts from people who have maliciously lied to us.’ ‘I didn’t know people could be so bad.’
The mother became emotional as she described the moment she was reunited with her daughter, saying the reunion was filled with ‘a lot of joy’.
‘We tried to hug as much as we could, but I had to stand back because she wasn’t in a good mood. So we have to stand back and let the medical professionals deal with him,’ said Talitha.
In a social media post, Russell’s boyfriend, Thomas Latrell Simmons, claimed he had been ‘fighting for his life for 48 hours’ while she was missing.
He said on Sunday afternoon that his girlfriend was not currently ‘physically or mentally stable’ enough to talk about the whereabouts of her alleged abductor.
Simmons, who shared a loving photo of the couple together, noted that she had been falsely accused of being involved in his disappearance but had ‘faith’ that he would return.
The boyfriend, who went out with Karlie in New York City last week, described his ‘non-stop’ hunt for her – and said ‘he’s not giving up until I see his face again.’
He wrote: ‘I don’t even know how to start this post but just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for saving my girlfriend’s life!’
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been created from the fundraising site to help Carly ‘get her life together’.
It’s unclear why the campaign was taken down, though Karlie’s family has publicly said they don’t want to raise any GoFundMe funds for her, and the service is known for shutting down fake campaigns to cash in on high-profile events. In the news.
A shadowy figure has been added to the mystery of the disappearances, appearing in terrifying footage of the moment it slowed down on the Russell Highway.
In the clip, his car is seen moving into the right lane. Later, the footage is illuminated by blue light as police arrive at the scene where his empty car is found.
When officers arrived at the location, they found Russell’s car, along with her cell phone, purse, wig and Apple Watch in a nearby area – but Russell and the child she claimed to have seen were nowhere to be seen.
Police are now using the footage to analyze what happened.
‘We have seen the video. It’s not the greatest,’ said Hoover Police Chief Nick Darzis. ‘This proves that Carly’s car was there and we know that when the officers responded to the 911 call that she was not.’
Read Full News Here