An attorney for Carlee Russell, a 25-year-old woman who mysteriously went missing for two days in the middle of July, has released a statement admitting that she was not abducted by a stranger as she previously claimed.
Emory Anthony, Russell’s attorney gave the confession to Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis to read Monday afternoon. It stated the young woman operated alone and expressed how sorry she for lying to the public about what had happened to her.
According to the prepared statement, she never spotted a small child in need of her assistance on Interstate 459 nor was she kidnapped.
“There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023,” the statement said in part. “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. My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing.”
According to the statement, Russell deeply regrets her actions and wants to apologize to the community, Hoover Police, other agencies, friends, and family that exhausted their resources to help find her when they believed she was lost.
“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,” the statement reads.
On the night in question, Russell reported seeing a toddler in distress to 911 dispatchers and family members.
All hands were on deck, trying to locate the woman and the child. Police reported that they found her car but not her nor the small child that night.
On July 15, 49 hours later, Russell returned to her parents’ home. The woman and her family claimed abduction by an unidentified man after trying to help the toddler, but she escaped the next day.
Derzis said that his department now knows “it was a hoax.”
”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. We’re very excited about that,” Derzis said, also saying he hopes that he is able to speak directly to Russell as they tie up the investigation.
The cost incurred by law enforcement in the search for Russell has not been calculated yet, according to the chief.
”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, calling it “an elaborate deal.”
Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama announced Monday that they would not return over $60,000 raised as a reward for information leading to the safe return of Russell while the investigation is still ongoing.
