Liar Carlee Russell pleads guilty in I-459 abduction hoax, avoids jail: 'I made a grave mistake'

Carlee Russell appeared in a Jefferson County courtroom Thursday 
afternoon, eight months after she vanished from the side of Interstate 459 
and sparked a nationwide panic, and asked for mercy as she entered guilty 
pleas to two misdemeanors.

Russell, 26, entered a blind plea to false reporting to law enforcement 
authorities and falsely reporting an incident.

That meant Russell had no agreement in place stating what sentence the 
judge would hand down. A Hoover municipal judge in October had sentenced 
her to a year in the Jefferson County jail.

“I made a grave mistake while trying to fight through various emotional 
issues and stress,” Russell said, crying as she addressed the judge.

“I absolutely regret my decision and in hindsight wish I had cried for 
help in a totally different manner. My prayer is that I will be extended 
grace and be given the opportunity to redeem who I truly am and restore 
the positively esteemed character that I have worked so hard to obtain for 
the 25 years of my life prior to this incident,” Russell said.

Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Judge David Carpenter pointed out that 
although Russell alarmed the country, he believed it would be a waste of 
government resources to put her in jail because she is not a threat to the 
community.

Russell was sentenced to six months in county jail. However, those 
sentences were suspended.

Russell was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $18,000. She must provide 
proof of mental health counseling.

The Alabama Attorney General’s Office had argued Russell should be given 
jail time -- even though the charges were misdemeanors -- even if just on 
nights or weekends.

“This case has always been about respect for law enforcement and respect 
for this community as a whole,” state prosecutor Clark Morris said.

“Miss Russell faked a kidnapping, duped the community, and contrived this 
situation. We, judge, still don’t know, to this day where she was, how she 
got there, what she was doing, and with whom she was doing it,” Morris 
said.

Morris said hundreds in the community and local, state and federal law 
enforcement helped in the search for Russell.

“It’s our contention Miss Russell knew this would happen,” Morris said. 
Even once home, Morris said, continued “perpetuating this ruse” she had 
been kidnapped.

“She should get some jail time,” Morris said.

Russell was given an opportunity to speak and said she wanted to 
“genuinely apologize” for her actions and the “resulting negative impact” 
they had on others.

“I am extremely remorseful for the panic, fear and various range of 
negative emotions that were experienced across the nation. I want to 
specifically acknowledge and take accountability for the pain and 
embarrassment that I inflicted upon my family, my church family, friends, 
neighbors, community, and all of those who were directly involved in 
search efforts for me,” Russell said.

Russell also apologized to the Hoover police department and other law 
enforcement agencies and said she had “no malicious intent” when she faked 
her kidnapping.

“I pray that you will feel my sincerity as I prepare to pick up the pieces 
and go on to restore my life that you will witness the fruition of grace,” 
Russell said.

Russell was represented by attorneys Emory Anthony, Richard Jaffe and 
Luckie Milad.

Anthony spoke following the hearing and thanked Carpenter “for being 
strong enough to make a decision based upon probation.”

Anthony noted that ”Carlee apologized to the community, to Hoover, to the 
volunteers for her actions and I hope we will accept that and move on and 
allow her to live her life.”

Anthony still declined to say where Russell was during her disappearance 
and said emotional issues led to the hoax.

“I know there’s still questions that you all want her to answer but I 
think it would be good to give her the opportunity to find herself.”

”She’s just 26 years old, she’s in nursing school, she’s got three 
semesters left, she’s genuinely contrite and remorseful and she’s been 
deeply affected,’’ Jaffe said, adding that she wants to redeem herself.

“I think it was concise, she took responsibility availing herself to the 
court today and I think we should all be able to move on,” Milad said.

Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said he’s glad Russell apologized but said 
it came a little late.

”I don’t know why we didn’t hear that back in July,’’ he said. “There were 
a lot of people, not only in our community but across the nation, that 
were concerned for those couple of days.”

The chief said the nearly $18,000 in restitution falls way short of the 
money actually spent on the investigation, which he estimated to be in the 
area of $40,000 to $50,000.

“It appears to me here that the consequences are for the parents because I 
would assume they’re the ones who are going to have to pay for this‚'’ 
Derzis said.

Derzis thanked the Alabama Legislature for working to make hoax abductions 
a felony crime requiring some jail time.

”Hopefully if anybody does anything like this again, they will be 
prosecuted in a different manner,” Derzis said.

Derzis said he was disappointed she would not served jail time, especially 
with so many unanswered questions.

”We still today don’t know where she was and she obviously had help and we 
don’t know who the help was,’’ Derzis said.

“To me it’s a slap on the wrist- pay your money and go forward.”

How we got here:

After faking her own abduction last year in a 49-hour disappearance that 
garnered attention nationwide, Russell pleaded not guilty on Oct. 11, 
2023, in Hoover municipal court to false reporting to law enforcement 
authorities and falsely reporting an incident.

Despite her plea, Hoover Municipal Judge Brad Bishop found her guilty 
based on the recommendation of state prosecutors.

Bishop recommended one year in jail and $17,874 in restitution. He also 
recommended two fines of $831 each.

In municipal court, there is no jury trial. The constitution allows anyone 
who faces jail time to have their case heard and decided by a jury of 
their peers.

Often defendants will appeal a verdict to Jefferson County Circuit Court 
to take the case to a jury trial.

Russell seemingly vanished July 13 after calling 911, and a family member, 
to report seeing a child, about 3 or 4 years old only wearing a diaper, 
walking alone on I-459.

The family member reported hearing a scream, and then only interstate 
noise through the open cell phone line.

Russell’s disappearance sparked a massive search and widespread concern.

Two days later, Russell showed up alone at her parents Hoover home. She 
was taken to UAB Hospital for evaluation.

While in the hospital, Russell told Hoover police she escaped the clutches 
of a man and woman who abducted her.

Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis said authorities were able to determine 
that Russell left her job at Woodhouse Day Spa – from which she was 
subsequently fired – after taking a robe, toilet paper and a small amount 
of cash.

She ordered food from Taziki’s at The Colonnade and traveled there. Carlee 
then traveled to Target on Highway 280 where she bought some granola bars, 
Cheez-its, and a drink.

From there, she remained in the parking lot of that shopping center until 
9:21 P.M. when she drove to I-459.

Russell called 911 at 9:34 p.m., reported seeing the child. After that she 
called her brother’s girlfriend, and it was during that conversation – 
about 9:36 p.m. – that she went missing.

Police said no one else ever reported seeing a toddler on the interstate.

Data from Russell’s phone, including her Life360 app, showed she traveled 
approximately 600 yards in her vehicle while she was on the phone with 911 
stating she was following the child.

When police arrived on the scene, they found Russell’s wig, cell phone and 
purse on the roadway near her vehicle, and her Apple Watch was in her 
purse.

The food she ordered from Taziki’s was also still in her car. The items 
she purchased from Target, as well as the items taken from her place of 
employment, were not in the vehicle nor were they located at the scene.

In her initial interview after her return home, Russell told police she 
was abducted from the side of I-459.

“She told detectives that while traveling down the interstate, she saw a 
baby walking down the side of the road and called 911. When she got out of 
her vehicle to check on the child, a man came out of the trees and mumbled 
that he was checking on the baby,” Derzis said at an earlier press 
conference.

“That man then picked her up and she screamed. He then made her go over a 
fence. He then forced her into a car and the next thing she remembers is 
being in the trailer of an 18-wheeler. She stated that the male was with a 
female, however she never saw the female, only hearing her voice. She also 
told detectives she could hear a baby crying,” Derzis said.

“She told detectives the male had orange hair with a big bald spot on the 
back. She was able to escape the 18-wheeler and fled on foot, only to be 
captured again and put into a car. She was then blindfolded but was not 
tied up because the captors said they did not want to leave impressions on 
her wrists,” Derzis said.

“She said that they took her into a house and made her get undressed. She 
believes they took pictures of her, but she does not remember them having 
any physical or sexual contact with her. She stated that the next day, she 
woke up and was fed cheese crackers by the female,” according to Derzis.

“She stated the woman also played with her hair, but she could not 
remember anything else.

“At some point, she was put back in a vehicle that she claims was able to 
escape from while it was west Hoover area. She told detectives that she 
ran through lots of woods until she came out near her residence,” the 
chief said.

“During this interview, detectives noted that Carlee had a small injury to 
her lip and she complained of her head hurting. She also had a tear in her 
shirt. Detectives also noted that she had $107 in cash in her right sock.”

Russell’s parents, Talitha and Carlos Russell, made an appearance on the 
Today show two days after Russell returned home, maintaining that she had 
been abducted.

Police were “unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statement made to 
investigators,” Derzis said.

Russell never spoke with Hoover investigators again after that initial 
interview.

About 10 days later, Russell has admitted through a statement from her 
attorney to Hoover police that she was not abducted.

This is the statement sent by Anthony:

“My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her 
behalf: There was no kidnapping on 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, but this was a single act done by herself,” the statement 
Anthony provided read.

“My client was not with anyone or with anyone at any hotel during the time 
she was missing,’’ Anthony said.

“My client apologizes for her actions to the community, the volunteers who 
were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other 
agencies, as well as to her friends and family,’’ the attorney said in the 
statement.

Anthony has not said where Russell spent the 48-plus hours she was gone.

Anthony told AL.com that Russell told him she was not at the Red Roof Inn, 
which has been widely reported on social media.

Derzis said previously said he does not know why Russell fabricated the 
disappearance.

“I wish I could tell you,’’ he said. “I think only Carlee knows, and maybe 
her attorney knows now.”

“The sad thing is there were so many people involved and took this thing 
very, very seriously and, again, we wanted the focus to be to bring her 
home and she got home. We’re very excited about that,” Derzis said.

“It is what it is,’’ he said. “We know that it was a hoax.”

“We still don’t know what happened during those 49 hours,” Derzis said, 
“where she was, did she have any help.’’

https://www.al.com/news/2024/03/carlee-russell-faces-appeal-hearing-today-
abduction-hoax-led-to-1-year-jail-sentence.html