Authorities in Alabama have revealed that Carlee Russell’s story about being kidnapped on the side of a highway after stopping to check on a toddler was a hoax.
Ms Russell’s disappearance baffled police in Hoover after the 25-year-old’s car was found in the stretch of a highway following a 911 call she made reporting a stranded toddler. She inexplicably reappeared at her parents’ home 49 hours later, claiming she was kidnapped by “a man with orange hair” and was forced to undress and pose for photographs.
After much speculation about the veracity of her claims, Hoover Police Department Chief Nicholas Derzis confirmed on Monday that Ms Russell has admitted to lying about her supposed abduction in a statement she provided through her attorney.
“There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road,” the statement read, according to Chief Derzis, who read it at a news conference. “My client apologizes for her actions to this community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well, as to her friends and family.”
Police announced the development five days after casting doubt on Ms Russell’s story last week. Investigators had found that Ms Russell’s online searches prior to going missing included the 2008 film Taken, Amber alerts, and “how to take money from a register without being caught.”
Ms Russell asked the public for forgiveness and prayers as she continues to “address her issues.” Chief Derzis said it is possible that Ms Russell could face charges amid an investigation into where she was during the 49 hours that she claimed to be missing.
The statement read by Chief Derzis also read: “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.”
Ms Russell’s attorney Emory Anthony said that her client was not at any motels in the area, as it had been reported on social media, but did not elaborate on Ms Russell’s whereabouts while the community desperately searched for her.
“This was an elaborate deal. When you talk about calling 911,” Chief Derzis said. “The sad thing is there were so many people involved and took this thing very, very seriously and, again, we wanted the focus to be to bring her home and she got home ... It is what it is. We know that it was a hoax.”
Carlee Russell’s disappearance baffled police in Hoover after the 25-year-old’s car was found in the stretch of a highway following a 911 call she made reporting a stranded toddler— (Hoover Police Department)
The police department will meet with Ms Anthony in the following days to discuss the next steps in the investigation. Mr Derzis said he has reached out to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office about possible criminal charges and expects Ms Anthony to set up an interview between Ms Russell and investigators.
Mr Derzis did not provide the cost of the frantic search launched following Ms Russell’s fabricated abduction.
“We don’t have a dollar figure yet but we’re certainly working on getting one and not only ours, but the other agencies that gave us a lot of support,’’ he said on Monday. “We still don’t know what happened during those 49 hours, where she was, did she have any help.”
Hoover Police Department Chief Nicholas Derzis confirmed on Monday that Ms Russell has admitted to lying about her supposed abduction in a statement— (WVTM)
The circumstances in which the alleged kidnapping unfolded initially prompted speculation that a new ruse involving children was being used by kidnappers to lure in victims, despite law enforcement’s reiterated efforts to communicate that there was no evidence of such a threat
During an interview with police after she turned up at her parent’s home on 15 July, Ms Russell alleged that she got out of her vehicle when she saw a barefoot toddler walking in a field next to the highway. A man with orange hair and a bald spot then “came out of the trees” and abducted her, she claimed.
Ms Russell told police that she heard a woman and a baby inside the trailer of an 18-wheeler semi, before making a brief escape. She said she was then recaptured and taken to a house, where her alleged captors forced her to take pictures while naked.
She allegedly escaped for a second time while she was being forced inside a car and fled to the woods and finally turned up at her parent’s home.
The Secret Service analysed her phone and computers, and found internet searches that are “very relevant to this case,” Mr Derzis said. On July 11, Ms Russell searched: “Do you have to pay for amber alert or search”.
