Police To Review Traffic Footage In Ongoing Search For Missing Alabama Woman
UPDATE: July 16 —Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell was found alive and safe. Read HuffPost’s latest coverage here.
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As the search for a 25-year-old woman who went missing on an Alabama highway on Thursday continues, police are reviewing traffic footage to try to uncover details about her disappearance.
The footage, which was captured by the online company Traffic Cam Archive, shows a red vehicle that reportedly belongs to the missing woman, Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, slowly driving on the shoulder of the highway in Hoover, Alabama, before coming to a stop. The video is not clear enough to decipher additional details.
Russell went missing while driving from work on Thursday evening. At 9:34 p.m., she pulled over on the highway to call 911 after reportedly seeing a toddler walking on the side of the interstate.
She checked in with the child after calling 911, and then proceeded to call a family member about the situation. Upon arrival, the police found Russell’s vehicle and some of her belongings, including her phone, but she and the child were not there, according to the police department’s press release.
“[The footage] proves that Carlee’s car was there, and we know that when the officers responded after the 911 call that she was not,’’ Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said on Saturday, according to AL.com.
For over 48 hours, police and other law enforcement have been trying to locate Russell, who has not been seen or heard from since Thursday. During a press conference on Friday, Hoover Police Department Lieutenant Daniel Lowe said the department has received a lot of tips and is sending investigators to follow up on them.
Derzis said on Saturday that the department will try to enhance the traffic video since it’s too blurry to identify any other details about the incident.
“[Russell] remains missing and our top priority. Every resource we have is being used today,” he said.
