Carlee Russell was charged with filing a false police report and filing a false statement with the Hoover Police Department. On July 28, Russell turned herself in to authorities and was released in a $2,000 bond.
“Judging from the amount of phone calls and emails that we have received from all over the country, I know that many are shocked and appalled that Miss Russell is only being charged with two misdemeanors, despite all the panic and disruption her actions caused,” Chief Nick Derzis said. “Let me assure you, I, too, share the same frustration, but existing laws only allow the charges that were filed to be filed.”
On July 19, the department revealed details of Russell’s disappearance.
The police department worked with the U.S. Secret Service to discover searches from her cell phone leading to her disappearance. Russell reportedly searched the terms, “You have to pay for an amber alert or search”; “how to take money from a register without being caught”; “Birmingham bus station”: “one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville”; (the movie) “taken”; and information about Amber alerts on her work computer.
They also shared that during her initial 911 call where she reported seeing a missing child walking on I-495, Russell traveled 600 yards, which is about six football fields.
“Six football fields, to think that a toddler, barefoot, that could be 3 or 4 years old, could travel six football fields without getting in the roadway, without crying, it’s very hard for me to understand,” Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said during the press conference.
Russell was interviewed by police following her return home on July 15. She told authorities that she was kidnapped by a white male with orange hair and placed in the back of a tractor trailer. Russell told police that she heard a woman and a baby. At some point, she said she was able to escape briefly from the tractor-trailer, but she was captured again and placed in a car before being driven to a house. She said she was undressed and probably photographed. While at the house, she said a woman fed her cheese and crackers and played with her hair.
She said she was eventually able to escape and returned home by foot.
On July 18, the parents of Carlee Russell shared their thoughts on what they have endured over the past few days. Talitha Robinson-Russell and Carlos Russell discussed the ordeal during an interview with “Today.”
Carlos revealed that Carlee remains traumatized after her mysterious disappearance.
He said she struggled with “bad dreams” and “moments where some things make her cringe, afraid,” including loud noises. “Just different things that trigger,” he said.
When Carlee returned home, Talitha said that she appeared distraught. We tried to hug her as best we could, but I had to stand back because she was not in a good state,” she said.
However, her parents could not share details of what occurred during her disappearance because an investigation is pending. They said police have “spoken to Carlee once and are following up on that information, however we are not able to publicly share the details from our initial interview.”
Last week, Russell, a nursing student, was driving home after work and called 911 after seeing a toddler walking alone in the dark on I-459. After calling 911, Russell reportedly stopped and checked on the child. While speaking to her brother’s girlfriend on her cell phone, Russell reportedly began screaming before going silent.
When police arrived on the scene, Russell’s car’s engine was still on, but she was no where to be found. Her phone was on the ground, along with her wig. Her purse and Apple watch were both in the car.
Authorities looked over footage from the interstate’s camera and spoke with several witnesses. One truck diver told police that a tall man was near Russell’s car and speaking with her.
The search for Russell continued on Thursday and Friday and social media users shared her photos online. Activist Tamika Mallory and actress Viola Davis called for more media attention to be dedicated to Russell’s investigation.
On the night of July 15, Russell returned by foot to her parent’s home located in Hoover, Alabama, a town located outside of Birmingham.
However, Russell’s claims was unfounded and she later admitted that the entire story was untrue.
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