Police say Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old nursing student who vanished for two days last week, searched the internet for topics related to Amber Alerts, bus tickets, and the kidnapping-themed movie Taken before she went missing.
The detail was among many others that authorities revealed at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, where they gave the most comprehensive explanation so far of what happened in the mysterious incident that has drawn national attention.
Russell disappeared on Thursday after she called 911 and her brother’s girlfriend to say she saw a toddler walking alone on the side of the road.
Police say they have no evidence of a missing toddler, nor any other witnesses who saw such a thing along the busy road.
When first responders got to the scene minutes after the 911 call, they found Russell’s car and her personal items, such as her wig, cell phone, and purse — but not Russell.
Then on Saturday, about 49 hours after she first went missing, Russell came back home.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said that Russell told detectives after she showed up that she had been abducted and held by two people until she managed to get away.
But Derzis also shared other information that raised questions about Russell’s story and said investigators have not yet been allowed to talk to her.
“There are many questions left to be answered, but only Carlee can provide those answers,” Derzis said. “What we can say is that we’ve been unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statement made to investigators, and we have no reason to believe that there is a threat to the public safety related to this particular case.”
Russell did abduction-related internet searches before her disappearance
The Alabama Woman searched online for Amber Alerts, bus tickets, the abduction movie Taken, and how to steal money before she went missing.
Investigators found that she moved 600 yards along the highway while calling 911 about a toddler she claimed to see.
“I find that very strange,” Derzis said. “To think that a toddler … is going to travel six football fields without getting in the roadway, without crying … it’s just very hard for me to understand.”
Russell claimed to police she was abducted and had her eyes covered
The 25-year-old said a man with orange hair grabbed her near her car and put her in a truck with a woman and a baby. She escaped but was caught and blindfolded. She said they took her to a house, undressed her, and took photos of her. She said the woman fed her cheese crackers and played with her hair. She escaped again and ran home. Detectives saw a ripped shirt, a lip injury, and $107 in her sock.
Some police released details before the disappearance
Officials said Russell got snacks at Target before she vanished but they weren’t with her stuff.
Derzis said the previously missing woman also took a bathrobe, toilet paper, and other things from her work — but they weren’t at the scene either.
Police played Russell’s 911 call, where she says she saw a toddler in a diaper.
The law enforcement authorities said a video from Russell’s area on Saturday shows her walking home by herself.