Carlee Russell smiles in mug shot as she’s charged with false police report in kidnap hoax

She turned herself into the Hoover City Jail for charges of false reporting to law enforcement authorities, which is a misdemeanour, and falsely reporting an incident, also a misdemeanour, he said. Each charge had a bond set at $1,000 and can result in up to a year in jail and a potential fine of $6,000 if convicted.

She posted bond and was released from jail.

Chief Derzis also said they have not found out where she was in the 49 hours she went missing.

Ms Russell’s mugshot shows a smile that doesn’t appear to match the fact she’s facing the possibility of a year in jail.

Ms Russell’s attorney issued a statement: “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.”

The statement continued, “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.”

Ms Russell disappeared on 13 July after calling 911, claiming she had seen a toddler walking on the side of an Alabama interstate. But by the time police arrived at the scene, neither Ms Russell nor the toddler were anywhere to be found.

This sparked an investigation. Mysteriously, 49 hours after she vanished, the 25-year-old arrived at home. She was reportedly in a state of shock, and eventually told her family, boyfriend, and then detectives a harrowing story of her survival over the last two days.

Ms Russell’s explanation involved being abducted by a white man with “orange hair” and she was forced to undress and pose for photos. Miraculously, though, she claimed, she was able to escape and flee into the woods and make it home safely.

It didn’t take long for her story to begin to unravel: her search history revealed that she had looked up the movie Taken, “how to take money from a register without being caught,” and questions surrounding amber alerts.

Police voiced doubts about her abduction publicly. “To think that a toddler, barefoot, that could be three or four years old is going to travel six football fields without getting on the roadway, without crying ... it’s very hard for me to understand,” Mr Derzis said during a previous press conference.

The police chief said investigators had their doubts from the beginning, but on 24 July, he admitted, “We know that it was a hoax.”

Bevan Hurley reports on how Carlee Russell falsely claimed she vanished after calling 911 to report seeing a young boy in diapers on the side of a busy interstate, and how her lie was untangled by police.

The Black and Missing Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping bring awareness to missing people of color by providing resources, tools and educating communities on personal safety, issued a statement regarding Carlee Russell’s disappearance.

“Now that we officially know the truth, we can no longer give any more energy to this case,” the foundation wrote.

“While Carlee’s revelation is disheartening, we will not be dismayed. There are far too many missing people of color who actually need our help and are counting on us to help bring them home. We are calling on our community to not let this single incident undermine our efforts to help us find us. We have shown that we have the power to make our cases a priority too, and we must move forward and build upon this momentum.”

The boyfriend of Carlee Russell seemingly deleted social media posts containing photos or mentions of Ms Russell after police cast doubt over her allegations that she was kidnapped.

11 July

7.30am: Ms Russell searches for “Do you have to pay for an Amber Alert”.

13 July

1.03am: Ms Russell searches for, “How to take money from register without being caught Reddit”.

2.13am: Ms Russell searches for, “Birmingham bus station”.

2.35am: Ms Russell searches for, “One-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville” departing 13 July.

12:10pm: Ms Russell searches for the film “Taken”.

Ms Russell also searched for more information about Amber Alerts while at her workplace including one about the maximum age for an Amber Alert to be issued.

8.20pm: Ms Russell leaves her workplace, Woodhouse Spa. She is seen concealing a dark bathrobe, toilet paper and other items.

She then picks up dinner from a local restaurant and drives to Target where she purchases snacks.

9.21pm: Ms Russel leaves the shopping center parking lot and begins driving down the interstate.

9.34pm: Ms Russell calls 911 and reports a toddler walking along Interstate 459 alone and without pant or shoes.

Data shows Ms Russell drove 600 yards while on the phone with police, claiming she pulled over to assist the child.

After the 911 call, Ms Russell called her brother’s girlfriend.

9.36pm: Ms Russell goes missing.

9.40pm: Police arrive on scene.

14 July

7am: Russell family begins searching for Ms Russell

Searches continue all day and night until the following evening.

15 July

10.45pm: Ms Russell returns home on foot. Surveillance footage shows her walking on the sidewalk alone.

A mother in Alabama whose daughter was murdered has spoken out against Carlee Russell, saying her fake kidnapping story was “disrespectful” to parents who have lost a child.

Shea Wardrup Pilkington-Wiley posted on Facebook last Wednesday describing how Ms Russell’s case brought back the same “sickening feelings” she felt when her daughter, Madison Pilkington, was murdered.