Carlethia 'Carlee' Nichole Russell was on the phone with her sister-in-law when she got out of her car to check up on the child. The family member then heard a sudden scream and shortly after, lost all contact with Russell.
When officers arrived at the location, they found Russell's car, along with her cell phone, purse, wig and apple watch in the nearby area - but Russell and the child were nowhere to be seen.
Hoover Police have not received any other calls of a missing child. One witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside of Carlee's vehicle, but police said they have no additional information.
'In the process at some point she got out of the car and my daughter-in-law could hear her asking the child if they were okay,' her mother, Talitha Russell, said. 'The child did not respond, or at least she did not hear her respond, he or she respond.'
'And then she heard our daughter Carlee scream, and from there on all we could hear was noise ... background noise in her phone, which we later found out was noise from the interstate.'
Russel left work around 8:20 PM on Thursday before stopping to pick up food for her and her mom.
She then travelled toward Hoover and called 911 at about 9:30 PM to report the missing child wandering on the side of Interstate 459.
After calling 911, Russell reportedly called her sister-in-law to tell her she was going to check up on the child. The family member lost contact with her at about 9:36 pm but the line remained open.
Responding officers located Russell's abandoned car along with her cell phone, her purse, wig and apple watch in the nearby area, but no sign of her or a child.
Hoover Police have not received any other calls of someone missing a small child.
Lt. Daniel Lowe said said one witness reported possibly seeing a gray vehicle and a man standing outside of Carlee's vehicle, but they have no additional information.
Detectives are currently investigating this incident and are requesting the public's assistance to help locate Russell.
Russell is described as a 5-foot-4, 150 pound black female and was last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants and white Nike sneakers.
Lowe said police are pursing all possibilities in the disappearance.
'We're certainly leaving nothing off the table,' he said when asked if investigators believe she was abducted.
'No piece of information is too small in this investigation,' Lowe said in a presser Friday.
Family members also organized a search in the area.
'We're just gonna scour the earth,' Russell's dad, Carlos Russell, told WVTM. 'There's no stopping us.'
An anonymous donor offered a $20,000 reward for Russell's safe return and another $5,000 reward is available through Crime Stoppers.
The Hoover Police Department said they are partnering with many local, state and federal partners in the investigation and are 'grateful for the outpouring of support from the local and law enforcement community.'
Police said they would continue to provide periodic updates on Twitter to relay any immediate information to the public.
'We would also ask our community to keep the Russell family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,' Lowe said.
Talitha Russell said the last time she spoke with her daughter was around 9:18 p.m. Thursday when she left Taziki's after picking up food and was headed home.
'We are trusting God, we are staying positive, we are not allowing any negative thoughts to enter our minds so all that we are doing is trusting God, believe in God that our daughter will be brought home safely,' Talitha Russell said to WSAZ.
She's known to be helpful and she has a big heart,' Talitha Russell said of her daughter.
'And she does know not to stop for anyone ... I think she kind of let her guard down thinking they were so close. And when she got out the car, she did tell my daughter-in-law, 'I can't just leave this little child on the side of the road.'
Russell works part time at The Woodhouse Day Spa and attends Jefferson State Community College, according to AL, where she is studying to become a registered nurse.
She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from AUM, according to the outlet.
Jefferson State released a statement on Friday and said the school was 'extremely concerned' for Russell's safety.
Angela Harris, mother of Aniah Blanchard, a 19-year-old who vanished in 2019 before she was found dead, joined the search on Friday.
Harris said that despite teams of volunteers spread out across the city to hand out flyers, they are limited because there is 'no place to search.'
'It's the most frustrating,' she said to AL. 'I told the family, whatever you feel in heart, where you think you need to go, go.'
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