The woman who faked her own kidnapping smiled from ear to ear as she posed for a mugshot.
25-year-old Carlee Russell was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors of filing a false report after calling 911 on July 13 and claiming she saw a toddler walking at the side of the road in Hoover, Alabama.
Russell then also called her brother’s girlfriend to repeat her false report before screaming loudly into the phone as if she was attacked.
The woman then disappeared for two days while authorities rushed against time thinking the alleged toddler may have been used to lure and kidnap the young woman.
After two days, Russell appeared at her parents’ house and claimed her lip was cut by a man with orange hair. She also insisted the man kept her captive for two days before she finally managed to escape.
Hoover Police have since refuted Russell’s claims and found out that the woman’s internet search history included questions such as “do you have to pay for an Amber alert?”
Russell has now spoken out through her attorney and admitted she made the whole story up.
“My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help in this incident, but this was a single act done by herself,” the statement read.
“My client was not with anyone or at any hotel during the time she was missing. My client apologizes for her actions to the community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies, as well as to her friends and family.
“We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and intends to move understanding that she made a mistake. Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers.”
Since her charges, Russell has been released from jail on a $2,000 bond. She faces $12,000 in fines and up to two years in jail if she is convicted.
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