Carlee Russell's Parents Say Kidnapper Is Still out There

Carlee Russell's parents are urging the public to stop speculating about their daughter's disappearance after questions evolved into verbal attacks against her on social media. Her mother believes Russell's kidnapper is still at large.

Russell, 25, went missing Thursday night after allegedly seeing a toddler on the side of Interstate 459 South in Hoover, Alabama. Russell stopped to check on the toddler and called 911 to alert officials of the situation. She then called a family member, who heard Russell scream before the call disconnected.

Police arrived on scene five minutes later to find Russell's wig, cellphone and purse near her vehicle, which was unlocked and running. Russell and the toddler were nowhere to be found. A search was launched and donations poured into the Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama to help.

The case captivated the nation. Two days later, Russell returned home on foot. After her return, her boyfriend Thomar Simmons posted on Instagram that Russell had been "fighting for her life." The family asked for privacy as the investigation continues, but many people on social media are alleging that Russell was never missing at all and staged the event. Hundreds of comments accusing Russell of making up the story are littering her mother's Facebook page.

In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Russell's mother, Talitha Robinson-Russell, asked the public to stop speculating about the case because it was "upsetting to Carlee."

Robinson-Russell said the response from the public has been malicious, and that speculation and the "completely false allegations" about the circumstances behind Russell's disappearance are "only making things worse."

"I didn't know people could be so evil," she said.

Newsweek reached out to Robinson-Russell through Facebook for comment.

Robinson-Russell filled in a few details about what happened when Russell arrived home, such as how Russell "wasn't in a good state." She said she tried to hug her daughter but had to stand back to let the medical professionals work on her.

In the emotional interview, Robinson-Russell went on to say that Russell was "absolutely" fighting for her life during the time she was missing, both physically and mentally. She said she believes Russell's kidnapper is still at large.

More questions have been raised as the investigation continues. Police never mentioned a possible abduction in the updates about the case, and many people on social media are demanding to know what happened to the toddler and if a suspect is still at large. Confusion only grew as donations to Crime Stoppers were returned to donors on Monday.

A toddler was never found, and police said that no child was reported missing during that time.

Russell's mother declined to share information about where Russell was or what happened during the 48 hours she was missing, citing the ongoing investigation. In an update about Russell's case, police said they had retraced her steps up until her disappearance. Police have not specified that they are looking for a suspect, but they have said they are following up on all information provided by Russell.

Update 7/19/23, 7 a.m. ET: The headline on this article was updated.