(NewsNation) — Authorities in Hoover, Alabama, released the full 911 call Carlee Russell made before disappearing as well as revealing a series of internet searches they believe could be connected to her disappearance. Police stressed that there was no reason to believe there was any danger to the public at this time.
Police said the investigation is ongoing but because of the widespread interest and fear generated by the case, they were presenting the facts they had to put the community at ease.
Russell disappeared on July 13 and returned home 49 hours later after massive search efforts. Family members said she had called and told them about seeing a toddler on the side of the road before she screamed and the call ended with dead air.
The full 911 call includes Russell telling a dispatcher that she saw a small child on the side of the highway, describing the child and agreeing to pull over. Her car was later found with some of her belongings inside, but Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis confirmed police found no evidence of a child in the area.
Cell phone data also confirmed Russell traveled an area the length of six football fields while on the phone with 911, while she said she was following the child. Derzis said he found it strange a toddler would be able to travel that distance without crying or getting in the road.
“It’s very strange to me,” he said.
Law enforcement conducted searches, including the use of search dogs, all day on Saturday following Russell’s disappearance but turned up nothing.
Police revealed data from Russell’s cell phone and work computer found a number of searches conducted on the day she disappeared. Those included queries about how Amber alerts work, how to steal money from a register, searches for bus tickets from Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee, and a search regarding the movie “Taken,” which is about an abduction.
Authorities said there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Russell’s system and did not have any indication she was suffering from mental illness.
In her initial statement to detectives, Russell described being taken by a white male with orange hair who, along with a woman, took her in an 18-wheeler and held her in a house where she was blindfolded. Russell told detectives she escaped and ran through the woods to return home. Authorities were unable to verify her statement.
Derzis said detectives have been in touch with the family and are hoping to conduct initial interviews with Russell once she has had more time to recover.
While police have a more complete picture of Russell’s movements and activities leading up to her disappearance, the question of what happened to her during those 49 hours remains unanswered.
Derzis declined to say if there was a chance that Russell would face charges but expressed confidence the department would eventually find the truth of what happened.
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