An Alabama woman who allegedly disappeared after reporting to police that a neighbor saw a minor wandering alone on a freeway, and fabricating her own kidnapping, is facing criminal charges.The authorities reported this Friday.
The fabricated kidnapping of 25-year-old Carlee Russell, which had garnered nationwide attention, led to her being charged with two counts of false reporting.
The events occurred on July 13, when Russell called 911 to report that he stopped his vehicle with the intention of helping a boy who was walking alone and barefoot on Interstate 459in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Upon the call, the suspect, who is a nursing student, disappeared and her case spread throughout the country, in addition to the search for the child.
However, two days later she returned safely to her home, assuring that she was kidnapped by an orange-haired man, and a woman, but that she managed to flee.
In the story related by Russell, the kidnappers forced her onto an 18-wheeler trailer, being taken to a house where a man and a woman told her to take off her clothes, and took photos of her.
Despite the account, authorities doubted her story, and after investigation, Russell was indicted on two counts of the false allegations, with warrants issued for her arrest by Hoover City Police Chief Nicholas Derzis.
The suspect appeared at Hoover Prison along with her attorney Emory Anthony, and was released on probation by posting $1,000 bail for each charge.
If he pleads guilty, Russell could face up to a year in prison as well as a $6,000 fine, Derzis said at a news conference.
The owner of the Woodhouse beauty salon in Birmingham, where Russell was employed, told the New York Post that upon learning of the fake kidnapping, she was fired from her job. He also added that he and his staff were shocked to hear about the woman’s disappearance.r, and they did everything possible to get him to return.
With information from the EFE agency
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