Why Did Carly Russell Fake Her Kidnapping?

Why did Carly Russell fake her kidnapping? Carlee Russell has been arrested following her shocking fake kidnapping.

This has many people wondering – why did Carly Russell fake her kidnapping?

In this article, we take a look at the shocking case of the fake kidnapping of Carly Russell.

Why Did Carly Russell Fake her Kidnapping?

On Friday, July 28th 2023, it was announced that Alabama woman Carly Russell had been arrested.

According to CNN… Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman who admitted to staging her own kidnapping and triggering a 49-hour-long search, turned herself in and has been charged with making false reports.

The 26-year-old Carly Russell is being charged with falsely reporting to law enforcement officers and falsely reporting a kidnapping.

She was released on bail, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis announced at a news conference.

Her story captured the nation’s attention, but as it turns out, she did not see a toddler on the side of the road, wasn’t kidnapped, did not leave the Hoover area and acted alone, Emory Anthony, Russell’s attorney, said in a statement Monday.

Both misdemeanor charges have a maximum sentence of up to a year in jail and a fine up to $6,000, Derzis said.

“I know many are shocked and appalled that Miss [Carly Russell] is only being charged with two misdemeanors, despite all the panic and disruption her actions caused,” he said.

“Let me assure you I too share the same frustration,” he went on. “But existing laws only allow the charges that were filed to be filed.”

The investigation will be handled by the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

“We don’t see this as a victimless crime,” Marshall said at the Friday news conference. “There were significant hours spent, resources expended as a result of this investigation.” He also cited the “many men and women who are civilians” who helped search for her.

Derzis said no charges have been filed against Russell’s family or any other individuals. Additional charges may be filed as the attorney general’s office works through their investigation, he added.

In the statement from her attorney, Russell apologized to the community for her actions, but did not detail where she was during the 49 hours she was missing.

“We still don’t know where she was,” Derzis told reporters Monday, adding, “Only Carlee knows, and maybe now her attorney.”

So why did Carly Russell fake her kidnapping?

Her lawyer said in a statement that Carly has regretted her actions but that she has some ‘issues’ she’s dealing with.

“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.”

We might never know for sure why Carly Russell decided to fake her kidnapping. However, she has certainly brought immense shame on herself and who knows, might even end up in jail!

Update on Carlee Russell Alabama

Alabama nursing student Carly Russell who faked her kidnapping was charged with two misdemeanors, including making a false report, after she went missing for two days and told a fake tale about being abducted, authorities said Friday.

Fox News reports… Russell turned herself in to police at the Hoover city jail Friday afternoon, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis told reporters. She was charged with false reporting of an incident and false reporting to law enforcement, both misdemeanors. Russell was released from jail after posting $1,000 bail for each charge.

“This story opened wounds for families of loved ones who really were victims of kidnapping, some of which even helped organize searched in hopes they could find Carlee alive,” Derzis said.

Russell, 24, dialed 911 on July 13 at around 9:34 p.m. to report a toddler walking along the southbound side of Interstate 459 near Birmingham, according to the Hoover Police Department.

She would return home on July 15 at around 10:45 p.m. near where police say she was seen walking along the sidewalk beforehand.

Russell’s attorney, Emery Anthony, said in an emailed statement to the Hoover Police Department that his client admitted to never seeing a baby on Interstate 459 and was never a missing person.

“My client did not have any help in this incident. This was a single act done by herself,” the statement said. “My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing. 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 and to her friends and family.”

The fake kidnapping of Carly Russell scared the surrounding community amid fears a potential kidnapper was on the loose and prompted authorities to search for the baby and suspects that never existed.

On Friday, Derzis noted that existing laws only allowed authorities to charge Russell with misdemeanors. He said he would reach out to lawmakers to urge them to add additional penalties for the false reporting of a violent crime.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said his office will assist in the handling of the charges against Russell.

“We don’t see this as a victimless crime,” Marshall said. “There are significant hours spent, resources expended, as a result of this investigation. Not only that, but the many men and women who are civilians who wore those yellow vests on a hot afternoon and evening looking for someone they thought was abducted and trying to be of assistance.”

During a press conference on Monday, Derzis said that officials still don’t know Russell’s whereabouts during the 49 hours she was missing.

“We still don’t know what happened in those 49 hours, where she was. Did she have any help? We have no idea,” Derzis said. “We wanted the focus to be, ‘bring her home.’ She got home. We’re very excited about that.”

“That facts that I (spoke about) last Wednesday pretty much showed that we knew it was a hoax,” Derzis said.

Police earlier said that Russell took toilet paper and a bathrobe from the Woodhouse Spa Birmingham, her employer. She later picked up food for takeout and was later seen getting snacks at Target.

Background on Carly Russell Fake Kidnapping

The following article on why Carly Russell faked her kidnapping is culled from Wikipedia

On July 13, 2023, American nursing student, Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell (born 1997/1998) apparently disappeared for 49 hours from her home in Hoover, Alabama, falsely reporting to police afterwards that she had been abducted.

The story of her disappearance went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms.On July 24 Russell admitted that she had fabricated the story, and had not been abducted.

Russell made a 911 call at 9:34 pm on July 13, which has been publicly released.

In the call she says that she has stopped at the side of Interstate 459 having seen an unattended young child on the side of the highway. She then called a family member to report the same situation, before losing contact with them, with the line remaining open.

Russell’s car was found by police abandoned at the location she had described.

Carly Russell appeared at her parents’ house 49 hours later, on July 15, and was taken to hospital where she was briefly questioned by police.

In that interview, Russell reported having been abducted by a male and placed inside a tractor trailer truck. She said she was able to escape, but was re-captured and placed in a car.

She claimed to have been undressed and photographed while blindfolded, though not bound at the wrists to avoid causing ligature marks, and said that she escaped again, eventually returning home.

Crime Stoppers raised more than $63,000 in reward money for the search of Russell.

The local police department and investigators stated that they had been “unable to verify” most of Russell’s statement, and that “continuing investigation had cast doubt on much of Ms. Russell’s account.

In the days prior to her disappearance, Russell had performed online queries including: “Do you have to pay for an Amber alert”, “How to take money from a register without being caught”, “Birmingham bus station”, “One way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville”, and queries regarding the abduction film Taken.

The Hoover Police Department stated in a press release that they had “not found any evidence of a child walking on the side of the road” nor did they “receive any additional calls about a toddler walking down the interstate.”

On July 24, 2023, Russell later admitted through her attorney that her kidnapping claim was a hoax.

Her attorney stated: “There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 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. My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing… My client apologizes for her action.”

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