HOOVER, ALABAMA: Carlee Russell of Alabama vanished after stopping on the highway to assist a lost youngster. She arrived home safely on Saturday night, July 15, putting an end to the two-day statewide hunt for the 25-year-old nursing student after her inexplicable absence. Now, Crime Stoppers has claimed that the funds raised throughout her search are not being reimbursed.
The Crime Stoppers of Central Alabama on Monday, July 17, changed direction after declaring that more than $60,000 in reward funds gathered for information leading to Russell's safe return would be refunded to contributors. The group said on Monday morning that it will return the $63,378 in donations made during the more than 48 hours the 25-year-old nursing student was missing. But they declared that was no longer the case on Monday afternoon, as per AL.
Is Carlee Russell's missing investigation not over?
Carlee Russell's disappearance continues to be the subject of an investigation. The police are still looking into the case's remaining unsolved details. "This investigation is still ongoing, and accordingly, there is no basis to refund any contributions at this time. Furthermore, the Hoover Police Department has not requested for any donor contributions to be released or refunded," the afternoon announcement said.
Russell vanished on Thursday after being seen stopping her red Mercedes on Interstate 459 in Hoover while claiming to have spotted a young boy standing on the side of the road wearing just a diaper. According to Bob Copus, executive director of Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama, some of those funds have already been returned, and the rest are in the process of being refunded if that is what the donor asked. The nurse contacted 911 and then her brother's girlfriend just after 9:30 on Thursday night, sparking the investigation. As per authorities, Russell's family called Hoover 911 at 10:44 on Saturday night to let them know that she had walked back home. She was transported by EMS to the UAB Hospital for a checkup before being released at about six on Sunday morning.
'We would never use a crime as a fundraiser'
The news about Russell's disappearance spread like wildfire throughout the nation and abroad. Police started a thorough investigation in the Birmingham area, and teams of volunteer searchers spent two days hunting for her. Crime Stoppers usually gives up to $5,000 in reward money for information about cases, but frequently that sum is increased by donations from outside sources, as it was with regard to Russell's disappearance. The Birmingham Board of Realtors offered $25,000 and an unidentified donor offered $20,000 for the Russell case. The money has already been returned back to them. About 60 people gave the remaining $13,378.58 and most of them did so using a PayPal link that Crime Stoppers set up to receive contributions for the Russell case. Each of those donors is receiving an email from Crime Stoppers today informing them that they can get a refund if they so choose. "We would never use a crime as a fundraiser," Copus stated.
