The former boyfriend of Carlee Russell has finally spoken out about how her faked disappearance in Alabama this summer impacted him.
He claims he is traumatized by many aspects of the incident. From people blaming him for her going missing to him being recognized in the streets, he says his life is forever changed.
Thomar Latrell Simmons and his friends and co-host Marcus Moody launched their new podcast “205 Boyz” this past week.
On the inaugural episode that debuted on Friday, Sept. 1, Simmons discussed how, since the hoax, he has had to defend his character — maintaining that he did not join a search party or post notices about her alleged kidnapping for attention but rather because he truly cared about the 25-year-old. Still, people have painted him as a liar who was trying to be a part of the algorithm.
He says on the episode that his efforts were sincere, adding that he didn’t find out she was lying about being kidnapped until a press conference on Monday, July 24, where Russell’s attorney Emory Anthony read her confession and the Hoover County Police Department detailed the great disruption her hoax abduction caused the city and force.
“I was mad. I was sad. I was in all types of emotions. … That’s my girl, so I stuck to it. But it wasn’t making sense. If you really wanted to tell me the truth, you could have told me. Before the police conference, you could have told me,” he said.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE.
He also talked about people saying they were not really together.
“It made me mad because people were talking down on my character,” Simmons said. “People were saying I was a cheater and I’m this and that, a player, and I’m like, ‘Our relationship was five years, man.’”
The ex also mentioned how the two had recently gone on a trip to New York and saw several sights as a couple.
“We were having fun, taking tours,” Simmons recalled. “We had a little argument, but nothing to kidnap yourself over. I am confused, like, ‘What happened? What made you do that?’”
On Thursday, July 13, Russell reported to police that she saw a child near I-459 Exit 10 in Hoover, Alabama. Police arrived on the scene and found her car abandoned, adding to the apparent veracity of her story. However, 49 hours later, she returned to her parents’ home, spewing her claim of abduction. Police questioned her account, and after they found holes in her story, including inconsistencies about the kidnapper, she confessed to police she had made up the entire story.
According to Simmons, he and Russell have not been in communication since the ordeal, which he said has turned life upside down.
Simmons is trying to get his life back to normal but believes that will be a challenge. He says people still associate him with the incident and recognize him everywhere he goes.
“I’m saying trying to be and get back to my normal life, but you know it’s never going to be normal for me. I can’t even go around Birmingham without people knowing who I am. It’s crazy, bro.” he said.
Russell has since apologized to the community, Hoover police, various agencies, friends, and family who dedicated their resources to her search when she was thought to be missing, and said she deeply regretted her actions.
She currently faces charges for false reporting and statements to law enforcement.
