Can Carlee Russell go to jail? Possible charges explored as Alabama woman confesses that she lied about the abduction

On the night of Thursday, July 13, 2023, a 25-year-old Hoover, Alabama native, Carlee Russell allegedly went missing. Her disappearance had the whole country speculating that the young woman was kidnapped. However, 49 hours after she went missing, Carlee returned to her parents' home on foot and told the police that she had managed to escape her abductors.

It is worth noting that before Carlee went missing, she had called 911 to report a toddler walking alone on a highway. However, when the police reached the spot, they didn't see either Carlee or the toddler she allegedly saw.

In addition, when Carlee returned home, the Hoover Police Department told the press that they failed to verify Russell’s story and it had several red flags. They seemed to hint that the kidnapping may have been staged.

A week after the alleged abduction and return, on July 24, 2023, Carlee Russell admitted that her abduction was a hoax, as speculated by the police and several netizens. She even skipped an interview with the police that was scheduled on Monday along with her attorney.

Her attorney reportedly submitted a statement on her behalf, a part of which was read out by Hoover Police Chief Nicholas C. Derzis at a press conference.

“My client apologizes for her actions to this community, to the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well,” the Police Chief Read.

So far, Carlee Russell has not been indicted for her actions. However, the Hoover Police Department is consulting the district attorney’s office to determine possible criminal charges that may lead to her imprisonment.

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Carlee Russell may have to serve one year time in county jail

As mentioned earlier, Carlee Russell's attorney submitted a statement on behalf of the 25-year-old to the Hoover Police. The statement read that there was no kidnapping on July 13 and that Russell didn't see a toddler on the side of the road. It added that Russell didn't leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person.

“My client did not have any help with this incident, but this was a single act done by herself,” the statement read.

Following Carlee Russell’s confession that there was no abduction, Hoover Police Chief Derzis held a media conference. During the conference, they said that they are still trying to determine where Russell was during her missing 49 hours.

However, he added that they were glad to have received a confession and let the world know what really happened. He noted that by Carlee's own admission, they know that "it didn't happen."

When asked if any charges have been filed against Carlee, he said that they would announce the charges "when and if they are filed."

He also clarified how on Tuesday they will sit down with Carlee Russell's attorney to discuss the gaps in the case. They will also be in conversation with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office about potential criminal charges against her.

As of Monday, it is unclear whether charges will be filed or what those charges could be. However, as per al.com, from what is known so far about the case, Carlee Russell could be facing charges for falsely reporting to law enforcement authorities or falsely reporting an incident. As per Alabama state law, both are Class A misdemeanors and are punishable by a year in a county jail or a year of labor in the county.

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In brief, the story of Carlee Russell’s fake abduction

According to Carlee Russell's initial accounts, on the night of July 13, she allegedly saw a toddler walking alone on the side of Interstate 459. Carlee said that she allegedly exited her car to attend to the toddler who she believed was lost from her family. Russell also called 911 to report seeing the child and even went on to call a family member before she went missing.

She was presumed to be kidnapped and when Hoover Police arrived at the scene, they found no trace of the child or even Carlee. However, they did find Carlee's car running in front of a Target with her phone, wallet, wig, and hat inside.

The Hoover Police and other agencies like the FBI, Secret Service, and Homeland Security got involved in the nationwide search for Carlee Russell. However, she returned home on foot two days later.

Initially, she refused to speak to the police and her parents said that Carlee wasn't in a “good state” and appeared to have suffered “serious trauma.”Later, Carlee Russell told the cops that she was allegedly kidnapped by two men (one with orange hair) who forced her into an 18-wheeler truck.

She told them that the men took her someplace where another man and a woman allegedly asked her to get undressed and took n*ked photos of her. Carlee also informed them of how she somehow managed to escape and had to fight for her life physically and mentally.

However, the Hoover Police Department was not convinced of Russell’s accounts of the alleged incident. As mentioned earlier, they told the press that there were many gaps and red flags in her story. They also emphasized the fact that they couldn’t manage to verify her story.

The police also discovered that Russell had made several internet searches about two popular kidnapping movies Amber Alert and Taken. She even searched for bus stations, tickets, and routes, and how to steal money from a cash register without getting caught in the hours leading up to her disappearance. All of this hinted that the abduction may have been staged.

While Carlee Russell’s alleged kidnapping made national headlines, netizens united to raise awareness and initiate efforts to find her. Meanwhile, Russell’s ex-boyfriend Thomas Latrell Simmons took to Facebook to clarify that he was in no way involved while thanking everyone for the support and concern.

In contrast, the likes of conservative political commentator Candace Owens trolled Carlee Russell after her return and accused her of staging her own abduction.

As per the data from the National Crime Information Center, more than 30,000 Black people in the USA have been missing since late 2022 and more than half of them were females.