“There was no kidnapping”: Carlee Russell asks for forgiveness over orchestrating disappearance

On Monday, July 24, Alabama woman Carlee Russell reportedly confessed to fabricating her own disappearance. On July 13, Russell went missing shortly after calling 911 about a baby walking alone on the interstate. When authorities arrived at the scene, there was no sign of the baby or Russell.

Two days later, Russell returned home on foot and claimed that she had been kidnapped. However, Alabama authorities later said that they suspected Russell had faked her disappearance. She has since admitted that there was no baby, and that the entire incident had been a hoax.

In an official statement, Russell's attorney confirmed the authorities' suspicions.

Her lawyer, Emory Anthony, said:

“My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13th 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."

Officials have not yet confirmed whether Russell will face any criminal charges.

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The details of Carlee Russell's hoax

As reported by NPR, authorities have not yet confirmed the reason why Carlee Russell fabricated her own kidnapping. Authorities noted that prior to her disappearance, she had googled several questions that indicated she had planned the incident in advance.

One search question involved the kidnapping-related film Taken, while another asked about whether a victim's family had to pay for an Amber Alert.

On the day Carlee Russell made the 911 call, officers arrived at the scene to find her car unattended. Upon searching the vehicle, they discovered a wig and a cell phone. Two days later, after Russell returned home, she told officials that she had been kidnapped by a man along the shoulder of the interstate. She said that the men blindfolded and undressed her, before she finally managed to escape.

In the wake of the incident, Emory Anthony apologized on behalf of Russell.

“We ask for your prayers for Carlee, as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding that she made a mistake in this matter. Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers," Anthony said.

He continued:

“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 an interview with Yahoo News, Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, said that Carlee Russell's case was one of the few examples of a missing black person gaining nationwide attention, and that such cases often get ignored. Many have argued that the hoax has undermined the efforts made to bring the issue to light.