Carlee Russell kidnapping theory questioned by human trafficking group

The Alabama woman who mysteriously reappeared two days after vanishing when she stopped to help a toddler who was walking on the side of a highway was likely not the target of sex traffickers, according to a report.

A human trafficking expert on Monday threw cold water on Carlee Russell’s parents’ suggestion that the tot was used as “bait” to lure the 25-year-old nursing student out of her car and kidnap her.

“As far as we are aware, this is not a tactic that traffickers use,” Sabrina Thulander, a spokesperson for Polaris, the nonprofit that runs the National Human Trafficking Hotline, told Insider, adding that it’s a common myth that traffickers often use force to capture their victims.

Thulander also discounted the theory of “luring” kind-hearted women.

Only about 6 percent of the human trafficking victims who’ve contacted the hotline since 2007 reported that they had been abducted, she told the news outlet.

“These kind of rumors spread on social media quite a lot,” Thulander said, adding that traffickers don’t like abducting their victims because doing so attracts unwanted attention.

Kidnapped victims also are likely to attempt to escape from their abductors, she told the outlet.

Sex traffickers usually prefer to employ trickery and manipulation to reel in their victims as opposed to outright force, Thulander said, adding that they often also use threats to maintain control.

“Far more common ways that traffickers use to recruit is that it’s a family member. You have a lifelong tie to them, and they will exploit that,” she told the outlet.

“Another is through an intimate or romantic partner who’s exploiting a vulnerability — a need that you have,” the spokeswoman said.

“For example, if you are homeless. If you need food and don’t have money to buy it.”

Predators also will target runaway teens, members of the LGBTQ community, and drug addicts, Thulander said.

Russell, whose given name is Carlethia Nichole, does not appear to fit any of these categories.

She added that some victims also are lured by promises of a modeling career or a temporary visa for a low-paying job.

“Especially in the COVID and post-COVID world, a rising concern is recruitment over social media,” Thulander told Insider. “It’s a very easy way for a trafficker to start a relationship with someone.”

The communications chief for the National Human Trafficking Hotline noted that “abduction is not completely unheard of,” but that “it’s very unlikely.”

Russell’s boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons, has claimed that she was kidnapped Thursday after she pulled over to help the boy as he wandered along I-459.

“She was literally fighting for her life for 48 hours, so until she’s physically & mentally stable again, she is not able to give any updates or whereabouts on her kidnapper at this very moment,” Simmons wrote on Facebook.

Russell called 911 and was talking with a family member as she stopped to check on the child when the line mysteriously went silent — but remained open, according to Hoover police.

Cops found her running car, cell phone, and purse, but no sign of her or the child.

A witness told police they saw a gray vehicle parked nearby and a “light-complexioned male” standing outside Russell’s car.

On Monday, police revealed that Russell returned home “on foot” after being missing for two days. Previous reports indicated Russell was dropped off at the home and “appeared to be in shock.”

Investigators have not located anyone who was with Russell from when she left the restaurant to the point she called the police. 

Authorities are still analyzing traffic camera footage and the 911 call from the time of her mysterious disappearance. 

Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers of Central Alabama said Monday that the $63,378 donated during the time Russell was missing would not be refunded, reversing what it had said hours earlier, AL.com reported.

“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,” it said in a statement.