Topline
Carlee Russell—the Alabama woman who disappeared for days earlier this month—admitted Monday to making up a shocking story that she was kidnapped by a trucker while attempting to help a toddler on the interstate, local police said.
Key Facts
Hoover, Alabama Police Chief Nick Derzis said Monday that Russell’s attorney acknowledged in a statement there was no kidnapping and no baby, and Russell “did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person.”
The attorney’s statement added that Russell did not have any help in the incident and that it was a “single act done by herself.”
Through her attorney’s statement, Russell apologized to the Hoover Police Department, search volunteers and other agencies that participated in the search for her earlier this month, which included the U.S. Secret Service, according to Derzis.
When asked by a reporter whether Russell will face any charges, Derzis replied, “That would strictly be up to the district attorney’s office.
What To Watch For
The Hoover Police Department has a meeting scheduled with Russell’s attorney “some point tomorrow,” according to Derzis, who noted that a meeting with Russell or her family has yet to be set.
What We Don’t Know
Derzis said there was no dollar amount to share on the monetary costs of Russell’s search but that the department is “certainly working towards getting one.” The police chief added that costs incurred by other supporting agencies would be included in the disclosure.
Key Background
Russell disappeared on July 13 after calling 911 to report a toddler who was allegedly wandering near an interstate highway she pulled over on in Hoover, a suburban city south of Birmingham. She also called a family member who “lost contact with her” during the call, according to Hoover police Lt. Daniel Lowe. Traffic camera footage later released by police showed Russell pulling over on the highway, exiting her vehicle, walking around to the passenger’s side of the car and eventually disappearing by the time police arrived just minutes later. Russell returned home two days later and told investigators she was abducted by a man who came out of the interstate’s nearby woods and into the trailer of his truck. She said a woman was with the man and that both of the abductors took her to their home and shot photos of her while she was undressed. Russell claimed she escaped and returned home on foot. Less than a week later, investigators said they were “unable to verify” Russell’s initial statement to them after she returned home. Derzis told reporters that investigators learned of snacks Russell purchased from Target before she went missing, none of which were among the items found by police when they located her car following the 911 call. Russell’s phone and work computer were analyzed by law enforcement, which showed searches for the “maximum age” for an Amber alert, whether Amber alerts have to be paid for, how to take money from a register without getting caught and another search about a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville. “The facts [from]
last Wednesday pretty much showed that we knew that it was a hoax,” Derzis said in the Monday press conference.
Further Reading
Everything You Need To Know About Carlee Russell’s Alleged Disappearance (Forbes)
‘There was no kidnapping’: Carlee Russell apologizes after admitting hoax (NBC)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/07/24/carlee-russell-admits-she-wasnt-kidnapped-on-alabama-highway-police-say/