Carlee Russell's Internet Search History Made Focus Of Latest Update

HOOVER, AL — Hoover officials say Carlee Russell, who was reported missing for 49 hours over the last weekend, searched numerous questionable terms in the days leading up to her disappearance that could shed light on what happened in the high-profile case.

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Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis addressed the media on Wednesday to provide new updates on the case that has since drawn national attention for its circumstances.

As Patch previously reported, Russell on the evening of July 13, called 911 to report she had seen a toddler walking on the side of Interstate 459, before then being on the phone with family members when they lost contact. However, this was not before the family reported that they heard the 25-year-old woman scream in the background as the line remained active.

"Through the public interest and, in some cases, public fear that this story has generated, we owe it to our citizens to tell them the facts we have uncovered," Derzis said Wednesday.

Derzis went on to explain that on July 13 — the day Russell went missing — she could be seen at approximately 8:20 p.m. leaving her place of employment.

However, she was carrying and concealing what appeared to be a dark colored bathrobe, a roll of toilet paper and other items that were not found in her red Mercedes by police responding to the call. It's worth noting that police recovered her phone, wig and other personal items in the vehicle once at the scene.

After leaving her place of employment, Derzis says Russell then ordered Taziki's at the Colonnade, before then going to Target and purchasing granola bars and Cheez-It crackers.

Derzis then said surveillance footage showed Russell sitting in the parking lot of the Target shopping center until 9:21 p.m., before she then embarked for the interstate and spoke with individuals on the phone known to her until she called 911 just after 9:30 p.m.

"Traffic camera footage was obtained which depicted this portion of the incident, and that footage was analyzed as part of the investigation in conjunction with the 911 call and cellphone data to actually determine the time frame," the police chief said. "Carlee's 911 call remains the only report of a child on the interstate, despite numerous vehicles passing through the area at that time."

Derzis went on to say that, to date, no one has called the Hoover Police Department or any other law enforcement agency to report a missing child or provide evidence that a small child was walking down the interstate.

Investigators also found, through Russell's Life360 app, that she traveled approximately 600 yards while reporting the child walking along the interstate to dispatchers.

After dispatch received the initial call, Derzis says Russell's mother called 911 and told police that she had lost contact with her daughter and heard her scream.

Police arrived on scene five minutes after dispatch received the initial call and found Russell's red Mercedes, but not the young woman. This ignited a massive search effort involving numerous law enforcement agencies and private volunteers.

However, Russell returned home on July 15 and was transported to UAB Medical Center for treatment for unspecified injuries. It was during this time that investigators received an initial statement from Russell, who said she stopped to check on the child, but encountered a White man with orange hair and a bald spot who came out of the woods and said he was checking on the child, before then reportedly grabbing Russell and forcing her to come with him.

"She stated he then made her go over a fence," Derzis said. "She claimed he then forced her into a car and the next thing she remembers is being in the trailer of an 18-wheeler. She stated the male was with a female. However, she never saw the female, only hearing her voice. She also told detectives she could hear a baby crying."

"She said she was able to escape the 18-wheeler and fled on foot en route to capture it again and then was put in a car to claim she was then blindfolded but was not tied up because the captor said he did not want to leave the impressions on her wrists," he added. "She said that they took her into a house and made her get undressed. She believes they took pictures of her, but she does not remember them having any physical or sexual contact."

Derzis said Russell told investigators that she was stirred awake the following day and fed cheese crackers by the female, who reportedly played with her hair. However, Russell said she could not remember anything else about the two suspects.

"At some point, she was put back in a vehicle and she claims was able to escape while it was in the west Hoover area," the police chief said. "She told detectives she ran through lots of woods. This came out near her residence.

Detectives found that Russell had a small injury to her lip and she told police that her head was hurting. She was also found to have $107 in cash in her right sock and her shirt was torn.

At this point, police still had many more questions than answers and a detailed investigation began regarding Russell's phone records and internet search history.

"Detectives did not press for additional information in this interview and May. Plans to speak with her in detail after giving her time to rest. Detectives continue analyzing data from Carter's cell phone that was left behind at the scene.

Here's what investigators found:

• July 11 (7:30 a.m.): Russell searches for "if you have to pay for an Amber Alert"
• July 13 (2:13 a.m.): The day of her disappearance, Russell searched for a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville, with a departure date of July 13. She also searched for how to take money from a cash register without it being noticed.
• July 13 (12:10 p.m.): Russell searches for the movie "Taken," which has a plot centered around an abduction and human trafficking.

Derzis said two other searches regarding Amber Alerts were made on a computer at Russell's place of employment regarding the maximum age for a subject in an Amber Alert situation.

The police chief said the search history appeared to shed some light into her mindset at the time of her disappearance and investigators have yet to be granted a second interview with Russell after she provided her initial statement to police.

"As you can see, there are many questions left to be answered, but only Carlee can provide those answers" Derzis said. "What we can say is 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 related to this particular case."

This is a developing story. Tuscaloosa Patch will have more information as it comes available.