Carlee Russell, the 25-year-old nursing student whose disappearance set off a nationwide search, was not kidnapped, according to a statement from her attorney.
The Alabama woman went missing July 13 after calling 911 to report a toddler walking alongside a highway. She mysteriously returned home on foot 49 hours later.
For the first time since her disappearance, Russell’s attorney, Emery Anthony, issued a statement.
“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 statement read.
Officials were scheduled to meet with Russell and her attorney Monday, but instead of granting them an interview, Anthony provided the department with a statement.
Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis read the statement during a press conference.
“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 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. 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.”
Authorities, who are working with prosecutors to determine potential criminal charges, are hoping they can reschedule the interview with Russell.
“We’re still trying to determine where she was during those 49 hours, but I am glad that we received this … at least puts some of the social media super sleuths hopefully at rest for a little bit as far as … what everybody thinks took place,” Derzis said.
“We know that by her own admission, it didn’t happen.”
When Russell returned home her parents went on Today to report their daughter was not in a “good state.”
“There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life, and there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life,” Talitha Russell said.
The 25-year-old told police she was forced inside the trailer of an 18-wheeler before she was taken to a house where a man and a woman made her undress and took photos of her.
Last week investigators discovered internet searches for “Do you have to pay for an Amber Alert?” and the movie Taken shortly before her disappearance.
READ MORE:
- Carlee Russell’s parents speak out, claim daughter ‘fought for her life’ after disappearance
- Police release Carlee Russell’s 911 call as shocking new details come to light
It’s heartbreaking that this kidnapping was all a lie, especially when countless people are currently missing and don’t receive even half the attention that was devoted to Carlee Russell.
