Carlee Russell: Parents of Alabama woman who reported child on interstate say police searching for 'abductor'

The parents of Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old Alabama woman who was missing for more than 48 hours after telling a 911 operator she spotted a toddler on the side of the interstate, spoke out on camera for the first time in an interview aired Tuesday, insisting that police continue to search for an "abductor" after their daughter's return. 

"Carlee has given detectives her statement so that they can continue to pursue her abductor," her mother, Talitha Robinson-Russell, said, reading a brief statement during the interview that aired on NBC’s "Today" show. 

"Do you believe that an abductor is still out there?" NBC reporter Priscilla Thompson asked. 

"Absolutely," the mother said, with Carlee Russell's father, Carlos Russell, next to her nodding in agreement. "Absolutely." 

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The Hoover Police Department in Alabama released its latest statement on the case Monday. It did not mention whether investigators were searching for any suspects or a missing child. 

In response to a Fox News Digital request seeking clarification on the "Today" interview, a Hoover police spokesman said, "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."

"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," the spokesman said by email. "We have already stated that no one other than Carlee reported the child walking on the interstate and that no one has reported a child missing to us."

"There were actually so many calls and texts from people who maliciously lied to us. I just didn’t know people could be so evil," Robinson-Russell said, describing the two days before Russell returned home on foot. "She’s having to deal with the trauma of people just making completely false allegations about her," she added. 

"She found her way back to us. However, we can’t discuss the details of that," Robinson-Russell said, citing the ongoing investigation. "She definitely fought for her life. There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life. And there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life." 

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According to police's most recent timeline of events, Russell left work from a business at The Summit in Birmingham at approximately 8:20 p.m. on July 13. 

She ordered food from a nearby business at The Colonnade and traveled there, and police said they are working to retrace all of her actions from the time she left The Colonnade until she called 911. The update said Russell communicated on her cell phone with individuals known to her while on her path of travel up to the point of calling 911 at 9:34 p.m.

The conversation with the 911 operator ended, and Russell called a relative. She went missing during that conversation sometime after 9:36 p.m. after telling both the 911 operator and the relative she had seen a male toddler in a diaper on the side of I-459 and was stopping to check on him, police said. 

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Investigators are now scrutinizing traffic camera video showing Russell's vehicle pull over on the side of I-459 before she went missing. 

"Carlee’s 911 call remains the only timely report of a child on the interstate," police said. 

Monday's update said Hoover Police officers arrived at the scene within five minutes of being dispatched, and several other officers arrived shortly behind. 

They located Russell’s wig, cell phone and purse on the roadway near her vehicle, and Russell’s Apple Watch was in her purse. 

"Her vehicle is unlocked, running, all her personally belongings except for her phone," an officer is heard telling dispatch on a call aired on NBC News Tuesday. 

Investigators with the Crimes Against Persons Unit were notified, and the investigation "immediately began in earnest with numerous leads being followed," police said. Many local, state, and federal agencies immediately offered assistance and provided personnel and other resources to the investigation.

It was not until 10:44 p.m. on July 15 that police say the Hoover 911 center received a call from Russell’s residence that she had returned home on foot. 

Hoover Police and Fire responded to the residence where Russell was located. She was immediately transported by the Hoover Fire Department to UAB Hospital to be evaluated and was treated and released. Detectives responded to the residence and to UAB to take an initial statement from Russell. 

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The details of that statement are a part of the ongoing investigation which is expected to continue over the next few days, police said. 

"To me, so much joy," Russell’s mother said, recalling the moment she first laid eyes on her daughter again. "We tried to hug her as best we could, but I had to stand back because she was not in a good state."