A 25-year-old woman called Carlee Russell has admitted that she lied about being kidnapped in Alabama. She claimed that she was abducted after stopping to check on a toddler who was walking on the side of a busy highway.
Carlee lives with her parents in Hoover, a suburb in Alabama, and she was a student at Jefferson State Community College, where she was studying to be a nurse.
What happened on the day Carlee Russell claimed she was kidnapped?
Before disappearing on the 13th July, Carlee called 911 to report a toddler walking along a busy interstate road alone and without trousers or shoes. Shortly after, her car was found in the stretch of a highway, which led to a nationwide search.
Thousands of dollars were raised to help find Carlee, although they did not go directly to Carlee's family, but to the non-profit, Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama, who received more than $63,300 in the two days after Carlee went missing, which they are now refunding to donors.
49 hours after calling 911, Carlee reappeared at her parents' home claiming she was kidnapped by 'a man with orange hair' and was forced to undress and pose for photographs.
Did Carlee Russell lie about being kidnapped?
However, detectives uncovered evidence that made them suspicious of Carlee's claims, including Google searches about a film where a woman is abducted and searches on how to steal money from a cash register. Carlee was also found to be searching for the 2008 film Taken and information on Amber alerts, which is a child abduction emergency alert.
On Monday, five days after initially casting doubt on the story, Hoover Police Department Chief Nicholas Derzis confirmed that Carlee admitted to lying about her supposed abduction in a statement she provided through her attorney.
The statement read: 'There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road.'
'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.'
In the statement Carlee also asked the public for forgiveness and prayers as she continues to 'address her issues.'
Will Carlee Russell face criminal charges?
Alabama police say that they had suspicions about Carlee's story right from the start. 'The fact that I think last Wednesday pretty much showed that we knew that it was a hoax,' Police Cheif Nicholas Derzis said.
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.
Carlee's attorney, Emory Anthony, has said that he expects her to be charged over the false claims that she was abducted. He is yet to explain what motivated Carlee's fake story, telling a local news station: 'I know you have a hundred questions but we won’t be able to answer them at this point in time, but just walk with us and we should be through this shortly'.
How have people reacted to Carlee Russell's kidnapping story?
When Carlee was initially thought to have gone missing, many of her friends and family took to social media and other platforms to spread awareness of the supposed kidnapping in order to try and get her home.
During the 49 hours that she was missing, her mother Talitha Robinson-Russell pleaded for her safe return and she initially defended her daughter when rumours emerged that the abduction wasn't legitimate. '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,' she originally told NBC News. However, since Carlee has admitted to lying about the kidnapping, her mother has refused to comment.
Carlee's ex-boyfriend has taken to social media to share his thoughts on the case, sharing a post on Facebook: 'Carlee's actions created hurt, confusion and dishonesty," he said. "I was made aware of the false narrative after coming to the defense of my ex Carlee Russell. Myself and my family's nature was to react in love, and genuine concern. We are disgusted from the outcome of this entire situation."
He went on to say that he felt blindsided and thanked family, friends and the volunteers who were trying to help find Carlee for their support.
Carlee's false abduction story has also caused much upset amongst the wider public. A mother in Alabama whose daughter was murdered said on Facebook that reading of Carlee's case initially brought back the same 'sickening feelings' she felt when her daughter, Madison Pilknigton, was murdered. 'To find it was all a hoax well… I’m freaking angry!' she added. 'I’m angry for every parent out there that has lost a child.'
However, advocate and co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, Derrica Wilson, has stressed the importance of not letting the Carlee Russell case impact how we share stories of missing Black people. Speaking to reporters at WVTM 13, she said that nearly half of the people reporting missing per year are people of colour and 90,000 of the 500,000 reported missing are Black women. 'The numbers are alarming,' she said. 'Again 40% of missing persons in the United States are persons of color.'