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Original poster

Toddler used as bait in possible abduction of woman

163 replies

caggie2 · 15/07/2023 11:16

(US based) On Thursday a woman, Carlee Russell, saw a toddler walking on the interstate outside Alabama, she called 911 to report it before stopping to help. Her car was found with the engine still running with her phone in and her smart watch. No missing toddler has been reported in the area.

Absolutely terrifying. It sounds to me most likely to be human trafficking? Poor, poor woman. Stopping to help a child in danger Sad it makes you think doesn't it, I don't think I'd want to stop and help if I ever came across that situation now.

OP posts:
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PriamFarrl · 15/07/2023 17:17

Redglitter · 15/07/2023 17:14

What other motive?? Really?? You've never heard of someone just disappearing & being found murdered.

Unfortunately it's far more likely she's been victim of a random abduction.

Show quote history

Exactly! What motive did Peter Sutcliffe have? Or Fred West?

MinnieTruck · 15/07/2023 17:18

Losttheplotsometimeago · 15/07/2023 11:59

Amazed they have bothered reporting on or investigating a black woman going missing.

This is a horrible story... I hope there is a happy ending. Her poor mother.

Yep I thought the exact same thing. It’s truly horrible especially how her wig, phone and something else of hers (Apple watch!) was left at the scene.

I really hope they find her but it does sound like abduction to me

Dalekjastninerels · 15/07/2023 17:19

caggie2 · 15/07/2023 11:16

(US based) On Thursday a woman, Carlee Russell, saw a toddler walking on the interstate outside Alabama, she called 911 to report it before stopping to help. Her car was found with the engine still running with her phone in and her smart watch. No missing toddler has been reported in the area.

Absolutely terrifying. It sounds to me most likely to be human trafficking? Poor, poor woman. Stopping to help a child in danger Sad it makes you think doesn't it, I don't think I'd want to stop and help if I ever came across that situation now.

This sounds like that Criminal Minds episode with the lost little boy and his relieved (serial killer) father.

Rtmhwales · 15/07/2023 17:20

Oldtiredfedup · 15/07/2023 17:08

Incredibly odd that a woman who has seen a toddler along the interstate, who has called 911 to report, who was obviously deeply concerned for the child, stopped to remove her smart watch, her wig, and left her phone as well in the car before exiting to go to the toddler.

somethings very wrong - and those saying a toddler being used as bait is a ridiculous assertion, you don’t need to look very face to find stories of children being used in all sorts of ways to cause harm or serve nefarious purposes.

It's not really odd that she left her watch in her purse or took off her wig. I take my watch off in the evening because I'm tired of notifications. Lots of women take their wigs off on their way home because they're tired.

The phone thing is odd if she was supposedly on a call while calling out to a child.

PriamFarrl · 15/07/2023 17:21

Did anyone else report this child on the side of the road?

MinnieTruck · 15/07/2023 17:23

Rtmhwales · 15/07/2023 17:20

It's not really odd that she left her watch in her purse or took off her wig. I take my watch off in the evening because I'm tired of notifications. Lots of women take their wigs off on their way home because they're tired.

The phone thing is odd if she was supposedly on a call while calling out to a child.

Show quote history

Are you being sarcastic?

So this woman called 911 to report a toddler on the road. She then got out of her car but whilst doing that she thought, ‘actually I’ll take my wig off and leave it in the car. I’ll also leave my phone for the sake of it.’

Are you genuinely being serious?

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 15/07/2023 17:27

It does sound like an urban myth. However, the reports of what happened have come from police and her family.
She stopped at the side of the road on the way home from work and phoned 911 to report a toddler she’d found walking alone by the road. She then phoned her sister (sister in law?) to tell her what was happening and during that call, the sister heard her scream then nothing. The line stayed open. She didn’t have an argument with anyone.
The most likely explanation is that she was grabbed and put into a vehicle. The fact that she’d stopped because of a lone child, who has not been found or reported missing by anyone, does indicate that it was planned. What the exact reason for the abduction was, I don’t think anyone can say at this point. It’s hardly the first time a woman or child has been grabbed off the street, so it isn’t very hard to believe.

Poor woman. It’s horrifying.

StrictlyJowita · 15/07/2023 17:29

*So this woman called 911 to report a toddler on the road. She then got out of her car but whilst doing that she thought, ‘actually I’ll take my wig off and leave it in the car. I’ll also leave my phone for the sake of it.’

Are you genuinely being serious?*

I wouldn't pick up my phone before getting out to ask a toddler if they were OK. My phone would be in the place where it goes in the car. She thought she was taking a step towards a child. She didn't think she was going to be abducted.

Her watch was in her bag so she probably took it off earlier.

I don't know what's strange about taking your wig off before you drive either. They can be heavy and you can mess them up by leaning on the headrest. I took my rain hat off on the way home from work today.

Do you wear a wig?

waterlego · 15/07/2023 17:33

I’ve never worn a wig but I imagine they might sometimes be hot/uncomfortable. If so, I can see why someone would take theirs off once in their car heading home (so not a case of taking the wig off immediately before exiting the car; rather that the wig had already been removed at the start of the journey).

It does sound a bit like one of those urban myths, but as someone who has listened to a lot of true crime podcasts, I can attest that some very mad things go on, especially in the US.

Summermeadowflowers · 15/07/2023 17:35

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 15/07/2023 17:27

It does sound like an urban myth. However, the reports of what happened have come from police and her family.
She stopped at the side of the road on the way home from work and phoned 911 to report a toddler she’d found walking alone by the road. She then phoned her sister (sister in law?) to tell her what was happening and during that call, the sister heard her scream then nothing. The line stayed open. She didn’t have an argument with anyone.
The most likely explanation is that she was grabbed and put into a vehicle. The fact that she’d stopped because of a lone child, who has not been found or reported missing by anyone, does indicate that it was planned. What the exact reason for the abduction was, I don’t think anyone can say at this point. It’s hardly the first time a woman or child has been grabbed off the street, so it isn’t very hard to believe.

Poor woman. It’s horrifying.

Thanks for this clear explanation. This must be the most bad-tempered thread!

MinnieTruck · 15/07/2023 17:38

StrictlyJowita · 15/07/2023 17:29

*So this woman called 911 to report a toddler on the road. She then got out of her car but whilst doing that she thought, ‘actually I’ll take my wig off and leave it in the car. I’ll also leave my phone for the sake of it.’

Are you genuinely being serious?*

I wouldn't pick up my phone before getting out to ask a toddler if they were OK. My phone would be in the place where it goes in the car. She thought she was taking a step towards a child. She didn't think she was going to be abducted.

Her watch was in her bag so she probably took it off earlier.

I don't know what's strange about taking your wig off before you drive either. They can be heavy and you can mess them up by leaning on the headrest. I took my rain hat off on the way home from work today.

Do you wear a wig?

The fact that you’ve compared taking off a rain hat in comparison to taking off a wig tells me all that I need to know.

Yes I wear wigs as do many other black women. Do you wear wigs? Let me guess. No

MinnieTruck · 15/07/2023 17:40

Anyway OP, I have no clue why you’re getting jumped on. It seems perfectly reasonable to assume that something has happened to her.

No one’s had any contact with her and she’s literally gone missing. If that doesn’t scream abduction or something has happened to her then I don’t know what. Especially as there was no sign of this missing toddler anyway. I really hope she’s found safely. I’ll be keeping an eye on the news reports in the US. People are spreading her face on social media like wild fire so I hope she’s found sooner rather than later🤞🏾

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 15/07/2023 17:40

I don’t understand what the argument over the wig is about - is someone saying the wig being left behind means she wasn’t abducted? How is the wig significant? I don’t know if she deliberately left it even - maybe it was knocked off.

PowerBMI · 15/07/2023 17:41

MinnieTruck · 15/07/2023 17:40

Anyway OP, I have no clue why you’re getting jumped on. It seems perfectly reasonable to assume that something has happened to her.

No one’s had any contact with her and she’s literally gone missing. If that doesn’t scream abduction or something has happened to her then I don’t know what. Especially as there was no sign of this missing toddler anyway. I really hope she’s found safely. I’ll be keeping an eye on the news reports in the US. People are spreading her face on social media like wild fire so I hope she’s found sooner rather than later🤞🏾

No one is denying something bad has happened to her. Simply that the op is speculating and it’s not helpful or appropriate

CindersAgain · 15/07/2023 17:42

MinnieTruck · 15/07/2023 17:23

Are you being sarcastic?

So this woman called 911 to report a toddler on the road. She then got out of her car but whilst doing that she thought, ‘actually I’ll take my wig off and leave it in the car. I’ll also leave my phone for the sake of it.’

Are you genuinely being serious?

Show quote history

Isn’t it more likely that she took her wig and watch off before driving? There’s no suggestion that she took them off as she got out of the car?

ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 15/07/2023 17:44

There's webcam footage too

Not seen it myself but it's 'out there' apparently

3rdtm · 15/07/2023 17:49

But if they used the toddler as bait, how would they make sure that a big, burly man wouldn't get out of their car to help?

CindersAgain · 15/07/2023 17:50

ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 15/07/2023 17:44

There's webcam footage too

Not seen it myself but it's 'out there' apparently

Oh crikey, do you know what it’s meant to show? I am unwilling to look for it.

CindersAgain · 15/07/2023 17:51

3rdtm · 15/07/2023 17:49

But if they used the toddler as bait, how would they make sure that a big, burly man wouldn't get out of their car to help?

I suppose then they would show themselves and be running after the toddler to try and catch it. I mean they’d make it clear the toddler was theirs, had run off and they’d managed to catch up with it. I’m guessing.

ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 15/07/2023 17:52

@CindersAgain

It shows nothing

It DOES show her driving quite a distance with her hazard lights on before stopping though

No child
Nobody else

CindersAgain · 15/07/2023 17:52

ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 15/07/2023 17:52

@CindersAgain

It shows nothing

It DOES show her driving quite a distance with her hazard lights on before stopping though

No child
Nobody else

Oh! That’s interesting.

Winterjoy · 15/07/2023 17:55

ForeverFriendsAndPierrot · 15/07/2023 17:03

If the 'toddler' was used as bait....how could said toddler be trusted not to run into the road and get killed?

Also, if it's a trafficking case, how could it be endured an attractive female would stop?

I wonder if perhaps it wasn't a real child but something posed to look like one? A large doll could be propped up to look like a toddler standing at the side of the road in hope that someone would stop to investigate further.

Would also mean that if anyone less desirable for a kidnapper (i.e. a large man) stopped to investigate they would likely disregard it as some kind of prank and move on (rather than calling the police if it was a real child).

What a horrifying story. I hope she is found wherever she is.

Pancakefam · 15/07/2023 18:00

I think the original post is in poor taste. Of course you should stop and help a toddler walking around on their own. Whatever happened to this poor lady.

Oceanus · 15/07/2023 18:00

Oldtiredfedup · 15/07/2023 17:08

Incredibly odd that a woman who has seen a toddler along the interstate, who has called 911 to report, who was obviously deeply concerned for the child, stopped to remove her smart watch, her wig, and left her phone as well in the car before exiting to go to the toddler.

somethings very wrong - and those saying a toddler being used as bait is a ridiculous assertion, you don’t need to look very face to find stories of children being used in all sorts of ways to cause harm or serve nefarious purposes.

I often remove my watch when driving because my wrist gets sweaty. For longer drives I definitely make myself comfortable before setting off.