Alabama attorney Emory Anthony, who represents Carlee Russell, said Wednesday that he anticipates police pressing charges against Russell after she faked her own kidnapping.
According to WHDN, the announcement followed a Tuesday meeting between Anthony and Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis.
“It was a great meeting; It was a short meeting,” Anthony said. “We tried to identify some things about where we go from here; There’s responsibilities that we need to take care of.”
“I wanna commend the Hoover Police Department and the chief of police for their action and how they handled everything..Hopefully we can get to the end game, as they say, of this particular thing.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Russell called 911 earlier this month at around 9:30 p.m. to report seeing a toddler walking along Interstate 459 in Hoover. Minutes later, she reported the same information while on a call with her sister-in-law, adding that she would stop to see if she could help.
Traffic camera footage showed Russell’s car, hazard lights blinking, slow to a stop near mile marker 11. The family member reported hearing Russell ask, “Are you OK,” but heard no response, and then Russell screamed.
Days later, at around 10:45 p.m., Russell arrived at her parents’ house in Hoover.
Police have no evidence of a toddler walking along the highway. No other calls to 911 reported a toddler, “despite numerous vehicles passing through that area as depicted by the traffic camera surveillance video.”
Police said Russell claimed she was kidnapped and forced into an 18-wheeler by a man with orange hair, and a woman. She claimed she fled on foot, only to be captured again, blindfolded, and put into a car.
It was all ruse.
During a July 24 press conference, Anthony said Russell admitted to making up the entire story and never saw a toddler wandering alone.
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,’’ Anthony wrote.
“My client was not with anyone or at any hotel during the time she was missing.”
“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
Former criminal defense lawyer Eric Guster said the search for Russell consumed the time and money of both law enforcement and concerned community members.
He also listed the crimes she allegedly committed, including lying to police, theft, and filing a false report.
“We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and intends to move understanding that she made a mistake,’’ Anthony added in the statement. “Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers.”
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[Feature Photo via Hoover PD]
