Was Carlee Russell really abducted? Parents insist daughter was taken as mystery around case deepens
HOOVER, ALABAMA: Carlee Russell, a nursing student from Alabama, recently made headlines when she mysteriously disappeared and reappeared 48 hours later. The circumstances surrounding her disappearance have left authorities and the public perplexed.
As the investigation unfolds, Carlee’s parents have come forward, firmly asserting that their daughter was abducted. However, there is still no clarity as police are not sharing further information.
Was Carlee Russell really abducted?
In an emotional interview with the Today Show, Talitha and Carlos Russell, the parents of Carlee Russell, spoke out about their daughter’s puzzling ordeal and their belief that she was abducted. Talitha Russell, her mother emphasized their conviction, stating, “Carlee has given detectives her statement so that they can continue to pursue her abductor.” When questioned further about the existence of an abductor, Talitha responded assertively, saying, “Absolutely, absolutely,” while Carlos nodded in agreement.
Many are questioning the incident after Carlee reappeared at her parent's house in Hoover on Saturday night. She disappeared soon after making a 911 call to report a toddler on the roadside. Hoover Police Department Captain Keith Czeskelba told DailyMail on Tuesday morning, "We have spoken to Carlee once and are following up on that information, however, we are not able to publicly share the details from our initial interview," he said.
'We will follow up with her again'
"We will follow up with her again to attempt to get a better understanding of her movements during the time she was missing and will provide what information we can when we are able to do so," he added. The parents of Carlee, who went missing for two weeks, revealed that they received many false and hurtful messages from people pretending to know her whereabouts. "There were actually just so many calls and texts from people who maliciously lied to us," Talitha Russell said before adding "I just didn’t know people could be so evil." She also shared how she felt when she finally saw her daughter again, saying it was a moment of ‘so much joy’. "We tried to hug as best we could, but I had to stand back because she was not in a good state. So we had to stand back and let medical professionals work with her," said Talitha.
Removed GoFundMe Campaign
A GoFundMe campaign that was purportedly created to support Carlee in rebuilding her life was unexpectedly taken down from the fundraising site. Carlee’s family had publicly expressed their disinterest in having any GoFundMe campaigns associated with her as per reports. The removal of the campaign adds another layer of intrigue to the case, as the reasons behind its deletion remain undisclosed. It is also known that the service has been known to take down fake campaigns seeking to cash in on high-profile events in the news. Police have not shared any information in Monday's update about where Russell was during the two-day search.
"The details of that statement are a part of the ongoing investigation which is expected to continue over the next few days," police shared in a statement on Monday. "During the initial portion of the investigation, detectives were able to retrace nearly all of Carlee's steps until the point she went missing and are confident that will continue to be the case." They added, "We rejoice with the Russell family as they continue to rest and recover from this situation and ask for their wishes to be respected regarding their privacy."