Birmingham woman, Carlee Russell, found guilty of faking her kidnapping

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WCBI) – A Birmingham woman was found guilty of faking her own kidnapping. Carlee Russell walked into court to face two charges of filing a false report.

Russell disappeared while driving home from work one night.

She called 911 to report seeing a child on the side of the highway. When police officers arrived moments later, there was no sign of Russell or a child. Her car and personal belongings were on the roadside.

Russell pleaded not guilty. But the judge ordered her to pay $831 for each misdemeanor charge, as well as over $17,000 in restitution.

“I think, she understands what has happened. She has apologized. I know you all say through me, but that’s not good enough. She has apologized for what transpired. I don’t want her to have any kind of break down or anything if that nature. So, we are handling her with kid gloves and making sure her mental state is just fine,” said Emory Anthony, Russell’s attorney.

Hundreds of people showed up to search for Russell after her disappearance. Two days later, she returned home and reported that she had been kidnapped before later admitting the entire story was a hoax.

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