This week, a 25-year-old woman admitted that she lied about being abducted after calling 911 to report seeing a child wandering on the side of an interstate. The woman’s brief disappearance, which was a hoax, had made national headlines and sparked a massive effort to find her.
Carlee Russell, a nursing student, disappeared on July 13 after she called 911 at 9:30 p.m.to report seeing a child wandering alone on an interstate in Hoover, Alabama. In addition, Russell called a relative and said she was going to help the child, according to The New York Times. While on the line, the relative heard Russell scream. The relative then lost contact with Russell. Two days later, Russell showed up at her family’s home on foot and claimed that she was abducted and escaped.
Russell reportedly told investigators that she was forced into a vehicle and then an 18-wheeler before escaping. She then claimed that she was abducted again and put in a car, then held in a house, then put in another car before escaping a second time and running home through the woods.
Hoover Police Department release 911 call between Carlee Russel and a Dispatch officer.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 19, 2023
Hoover PD just held a press conference where they called out major discrepancies in the woman’s story.
Forensic analysis of her cell phone shows her Google Search history appears to… pic.twitter.com/OI1JzrzakY
In a news conference shortly after, the police chief, Nicholas Derzis, said that authorities had not found evidence to support Russell’s claims. And, the investigation found that Russell had searched online for information about Amber Alerts and the kidnapping movie “Taken” before she called 911. The search effort that began to find Russell reportedly reached tens of thousands of dollars.
“There was no kidnapping on Thursday, 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. This was a single act done by herself. My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone at the time she was missing,” Derzis said as he read a statement provided by Anthony and Russell this week.
A meeting is set for Carlee Russell's attorney to speak with the Hoover Police Department Tuesday. Possible charges are being looked into at this time.https://t.co/VDtGoP3XUy pic.twitter.com/aDttF30GMw
— WVTM 13 (@WVTM13) July 24, 2023
Last week, Russell’s parents, Talitha and Carlos Russell, told “TODAY” that their daughter was not in a “good state” when she turned up at their home.
“There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life, and there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life,” her mother said. “She made it back.”
When the Times reached out to Talitha Russell this week, she stated “now is not a good time” and hung up.
Carlee Russell’s “now ex-boyfriend,” Thomar Simmons, shared in an Instagram post that he felt “blindsided” by her actions.
“Myself and my family’s nature was to react in love, and genuine concern,” Simmons wrote. “We are disgusted from the outcome of this entire situation.”