According to officials, a woman from Alabama who went missing after reporting to a 911 dispatcher that she observed a toddler strolling by himself on the side of a highway has returned home.
The infant had been missing since Thursday night, when Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell, 25, contacted 911 and reported seeing it along the side of I-459 South.
According to the Hoover Police Department, Russell made a stop after making the call to check on the toddler and to phone a relative who had lost touch with her, even though the line was still open.
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Police said that when they arrived on the scene, they found Russell’s car and some of her items, including her phone, but neither she nor the child were anywhere to be found.
According to a news release from the Hoover police on Saturday, the Hoover 911 center received a call at 10:45 p.m. stating that Russell had returned home.
“Hoover Fire medics responded to the scene to assess Carlee and transported her to a local hospital for evaluation,” the news release states. Police also responded to the scene to investigate, according to the release.
It’s unclear where Russell had been since Thursday and no further details were provided. Additional information “will be provided when it becomes available,” police said.
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The police department is “very happy” that Russell has returned home safely, Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis told CNN affiliate WBRC.
“We wanted her to come home safe and sound – and we’ll hope that’s what happened here,” he said. “And I couldn’t be more excited, and I hope the community feels the same way.”
“The first thing is to give Carlee and family a little time to get themselves back together,” he said, WRBC reported.
“I know it’s been a tough experience for them. When we think it’s time to sit down and have a conversation with Carlee and try to get some facts, we’ll do that.”