An Alabama court has sentenced Carlethia "Carlee" Russell to a year behind bars and an $18,000 fine for faking her kidnapping earlier this year. Carlee Russell made up an elaborate story that people initially believed but soon realized was all a hoax.
Russell mysteriously disappeared in July but then miraculously reappeared just days later. Her story involved a toddler alone on a highway, an abductor, and a heroic escape to freedom. Many became upset when they learned Russell was a fraud and wondered why she would make up such a story.
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Russell claimed she was kidnapped after trying to save a toddler.
Initially, Russell called 911 to report a toddler wandering on an Alabama highway. During a phone call with her sister-in-law a short time later, Russell reportedly explained what was happening and acted like she was approaching the child and its mother to see if they were OK. The next thing she knew, Russell was screaming, and her phone went silent. That was the last thing her family heard until she reappeared.
The video showed Russell's car on the side of the road, but it wasn't very clear.
Police said they obtained some footage from the area where Russell claimed she saw the toddler, but it was hard to see what was happening. Her car was there, but no one could see the toddler. Her mother said investigators found personal belongings such as a wig, phone, and Apple Watch near her car.
When she suddenly reappeared, people had questions.
Her alleged abduction story didn't make much sense to many people. As investigators probed Russell, they realized that her activity leading up to the suspected disappearance was suspicious. Russell reportedly took a robe and a roll of toilet paper from her place of employment before going missing.
She also had strange Google searches on her phone, such as "Do you have to pay for an amber alert?" and "One way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville." There was even a search for information on the movie Taken.
She was ultimately arrested nearly two weeks after her alleged disappearance.
Russell reportedly confessed to police that she faked her kidnapping, and they arrested her on misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. She has waited for sentencing since her arrest in late July, but it appears she didn't expect to serve time in jail.
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Her attorney plans to appeal the judge's decision.
Russell's attorney, Emory Anthony, said that although she agrees that paying restitution is appropriate, Russell does not want to go to jail.
"I think she understands what has happened. She has apologized, I know you all said through me but that’s not good enough, but she has apologized for what transpired," Anthony said, according to WBMA. "I don’t want her to have any type of breakdown or anything of that nature, so we are handling her with kid gloves and make sure her mental state is just fine."
He added that he wants to ensure that his client's mental health is good and said Russell is sorry for what she did and any pain she caused.
"We are dealing with issues with Carlee and want the best for Carlee and I think, we realize a mistake was made but we don’t want to just pile on right now," Anthony said.
