The boyfriend of an Alabama nursing student who disappeared after stopping to help a wandering toddler by the side of a freeway has claimed she was in fact kidnapped.
Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, 25, was found alive Saturday night after being “dropped off” at her parents’ home after a frantic two-day search across states.
Thomar Latrell Simmons, Carlee’s boyfriend, has now claimed she was in fact kidnapped – revealing that she “fought for her life for 48 hours” after disappearing off the Interstate 459 freeway in Alabama on Thursday.
He said Sunday afternoon that his girlfriend is currently “not physically or mentally stable enough” to discuss the whereabouts of her alleged kidnapper.
Simmons, who shared affectionate photos of the pair, mentioned he was falsely accused of being involved in their disappearance – but he “kept his faith” and continued the desperate search for his girlfriend.
The boyfriend, who took Carlee on a trip to New York City last week, described his “non-stop” pursuit of her – and said he won’t give up “until I saw her face again.”
Thomar Latrell Simmons (left), Carlee’s boyfriend, has now revealed that she “fought for her life for 48 hours” after disappearing off Highway 459 in Alabama. He gave the harrowing update after she showed up at her parents’ house on Saturday night
Russell is currently not “physically or mentally” stable enough to discuss the whereabouts of her alleged kidnapper, her boyfriend said in an update on Sunday
Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, 25, has been missing for 48 hours. Her car, still running, was found on the side of a motorway on Thursday – along with her phone and wig
Thomar Simmons, Carlee’s partner, wrote online, “I don’t even know how to start this post but just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for saving my girlfriend’s life!”
“Thank you also to everyone who shared a picture, came to the Hoover Met to help us with the search parties, and then went and told other people about Carlee to bring more awareness to their story.”
“I’ve been out non-stop since I got the call Thursday night that she was missing.” I know she would have done the same for me, so I wouldn’t give up until I saw her face again!
“I had almost tunnel vision, even using social media in my free time and seeing some of the false accusations and assumptions that I had something to do with her kidnapping would have been discouraging at times, but I didn’t give up.” kept my faith!
“I just want to say thank you to all my family, friends, former teammates and church members who have called or written to me just to let me know they are praying and there for me; You don’t know how much that meant to me!
Thomar and Carlee are pictured on a trip to New York City on July 4 – just a week before she disappeared by the side of an Alabama freeway. Taking to social media, he thanked people for their efforts in finding her
Russell, 25, was found alive Saturday night after being mysteriously “dropped off” at her home – sparking a federal search for the nursing student
Carlee is pictured with her boyfriend Thomar. After the ordeal, he said, “I wouldn’t give up until I saw her face again.”
Thomar Simmons posted pictures and videos of the couple together after she was found
“All I’ve asked of everyone right now is respect Carlee’s situation.”
“She literally fought for her life for 48 hours. Until she is physically and mentally stable again, she cannot reveal the whereabouts of her kidnapper at this moment.”
“I would also like to thank the people on social media who have shown understanding and respect for what she has been going through over the past few days.”
“Again, I can’t thank you enough for helping us bring Carlee home!” God bless you all.’
New images also show how many officers and the public helped find the nursing student following her shocking disappearance.
The update comes after Carlee’s parents, Talitha and Carolos Russell, said they believe the young child may have been used as “bait” to lure Russell out of their car on Thursday night, reports WVMT-TV.
They also tearfully promised to “scour the earth” to find her if she went missing. She arrived at her doorstep late Saturday night and “appeared to be in shock”.
New images also show how many officers and the public helped find the nursing student following her shocking disappearance
Russell, 25, went missing for two days – sparking a frantic search for her. She was found Saturday night after being “dropped off” at her home
Her parents Talitha and Carolos Russell (pictured) said they believe the young child was used as “bait” to lure Russell out of their car on Thursday night. They also tearfully promised to “scour the earth” to find her if she went missing
Russell, 25, can be seen pulling into the shoulder in her red Mercedes with the indicators on. She was looking for a toddler she saw walking alone on the Alabama Interstate Highway
This comes as new footage showed the eerie moment Russell slowed to a halt on the freeway after seeing a toddler walking alone before disappearing.
Russell, 25, was last seen Thursday pulling her red Mercedes onto the shoulder of Hoover, Alabama Interstate Highway 459 with her turn signals on.
When she stopped the night of her disappearance, she was on the phone with her brother’s friend. The nursing student told her on the phone that she was getting out of her car to check on the child.
The friend suddenly heard a scream and lost all contact with Russell.
The clip shows her car moving into the right lane. After a while, the footage is bathed in blue light as the police visit the spot where their empty car was found.
When officers got to the scene, they found Russell’s car, as well as her cellphone, purse, wig and Apple Watch nearby – but Russell and the child she allegedly spotted were nowhere to be seen.
Police are now using the footage to analyze what happened to the woman after she exited her vehicle on Thursday.
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said, “We looked at the video.” It’s not the greatest. “It proves that Carlee’s car was there and we know she wasn’t there when officers responded to the 911 call.”
On Saturday night, officials in Hoover, Alabama, received a call that Russell had returned to her home after she knocked on the door.
Police Chief Nicholas Derzis told the New York Times he wasn’t sure how she got there, but that no one was with Russell when she arrived.
After police and firefighters confirmed it was Russell and examined her at the scene, she was taken to a local hospital.
No further information about her condition was released, according to the WBRC, except that a person familiar with the situation said she was “dropped off” at home.
Hoover Police said in a statement: “Missing person Carlee Russell has been found.”
“At 10:45 p.m., Hoover’s 911 dispatcher received a call that Carlee had returned home to her apartment. Police responded at the scene to investigate the latest development in the case.
“Hoover Fire paramedics were on the scene, examined Carlee and took her to a local hospital for a check-up.
“Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
Hoover Police had received no further calls about a missing child. A witness said they may have seen a gray vehicle and a man outside of Carlee’s vehicle, but police said they had no further information.
She has now been found after turning up on her doorstep on Saturday night
The 25-year-old was on the phone with her brother’s friend when she went to check on the child before the family member heard a scream and lost contact
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Russell’s car nearby, as well as her cellphone, purse, wig and Apple Watch – however, Russell and the child were nowhere in sight
After a while, the footage is bathed in blue light – as police visited the scene where their empty car was found
“At one point she got out of the car and my daughter-in-law could hear her asking the child if he was okay,” her mother, Talitha Russell, said. “The child didn’t answer, or at least didn’t hear their answer, he or she did answer.”
“And then she heard our daughter, Carlee, scream, and from there all we could hear was noise … background noise on her phone, which we later found out to be noise from the freeway.”
Russel left work around 8:20 p.m. Thursday before stopping to pick up food for her and her mother.
She then drove toward Hoover and called 911 at about 9:30 p.m. to report the missing child, who was traveling on Interstate 459.
After Russell called 911, he reportedly called her brother’s friend to let her know she was checking on the child. The family member lost contact with her at around 9:36 p.m., but the line remained busy.
Responding officers found Russell’s abandoned car nearby, along with her cell phone, purse, wig and Apple Watch, but no sign of her or any child.
Lieutenant Daniel Lowe said a witness reported he may have seen a gray vehicle and a man outside of Carlee’s vehicle, but they had no further information.
Described as a black woman measuring 1.70 meters tall and weighing 70 kilograms, Russell was last seen wearing a black shirt, black trousers and white Nike sneakers.
Described as a black woman measuring 5’7″ and weighing 150 pounds, Russell was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants and white Nike sneakers
The Hoover Police Department said it is working with many partners at the local, state and federal levels in the investigation and is “grateful for the tremendous support from local and law enforcement agencies.”
Talitha Russell said the last time she spoke to her daughter was around 9:18pm on Thursday, when she left Taziki’s after picking up food and was heading home
Lowe said police are exploring all avenues to stop the disappearance.
“We’re definitely not ignoring anything,” he said when asked if investigators think she was kidnapped.
“No information is unimportant in this investigation,” Lowe said at a news conference on Friday.
Family members also organized a search operation in the area.
“We’re just going to search the earth,” Russell’s father, Carlos Russell, told WVTM. “There’s no stopping us.”
An anonymous donor offered a $20,000 reward for Russell’s safe return, with an additional $5,000 reward available through Crime Stoppers.
The Hoover Police Department said it worked with many local, state and federal partners during the investigation and is “grateful for the tremendous support from the local and law enforcement community.”
Carlee’s wig was left at the scene of her disappearance. Her mother posted a photo of what her daughter looks like with pigtails and no wig
Russell’s parents are asking anyone with information to come forward
Talitha Russell said the last time she spoke to her daughter was around 9:18pm on Thursday, when she left Taziki’s after picking up food and was heading home.
“We trust God, we stay positive, we don’t let negative thoughts enter our minds, so we just trust God and believe in God that our daughter will be brought home safely,” Talitha Russell told WSAZ.
“She’s considered helpful and has a big heart,” Talitha Russell said of her daughter.
“And she knows not to be in front of anyone… I think she broke her cover because she thought they were so close. And as she got out of the car, she said to my daughter-in-law, “I can’t just leave this little kid on the side of the road.”
Russell works part-time at Woodhouse Day Spa and attends Jefferson State Community College, where she is studying to be a registered nurse, according to AL.
According to the outlet, she has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from AUM.