Alabama resident staged her kidnapping: because of her, a lot of police were roused to their feet and they collected thousands of dollars from those who wanted to help

Carly Russell, an Alabama woman who went missing earlier this month, confessed to police that she was not kidnapped, reports Yahoo.

Photo: IStock

Russell received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Auburn University in Montgomery and attended nursing courses at Jefferson State Community College. She recently quit her part-time job at a spa in Birmingham.

On July 13, around 9:30 p.m., Russell was driving home after dinner. She called 911 to report that she saw a boy in a diaper walking along the side of I-459. After that, Russell called her brother's girlfriend and said that she allegedly approached the child to ask if he was all right. But the brother's girlfriend said that she did not hear the child say anything. Instead, she heard Russell scream, and then the connection with her was cut off.

Police arrived in the area within three minutes and found Russell's car door open, engine running, and her phone lying on the ground next to her hat and wig. Soon, local, state, and federal agencies offered help and resources to find the girl, using drones and video footage of nearby traffic.

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On July 15, the police received a call from the Russell family's home and were told that she had returned home on foot, alone. The Hoover Fire Department took Russell to the hospital for a checkup. She was treated and then released.

Confession

Early on the morning of July 24, attorney Russell Emory Anthony sent the girl's confession to Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis.

At a brief press conference, Derzis read out a statement in which Russell asked for forgiveness.

“My client apologizes for her actions to the community, the volunteers who searched for her, the Hoover Police Department and other agencies, and her friends and family,” Anthony wrote. “We ask that you pray for Carly as she deals with her issues.”

Derzis added that based on the facts announced last week, the department "knew it was a hoax" and said possible charges would be discussed with the local district attorney's office on July 25.

“We still don’t know about those 49 hours”

Since Russell returned home, her boyfriend, Tomar Latrell Simmons, has asked the public to think about her mental health.

“I know what she did. Just stop harassing her on social media,” Simmons said. — Think about her mental health. She doesn't deserve this. No one deserves to be cyberbullied.”

However, many questions remain.

Derzis says authorities are still unsure of Russell's motives.

"I'd like to tell you, but I think only Carly and maybe now her lawyer knows that," he said during a July 24 press conference.

The organization announced on July 24 that more than $63 donated to Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama to help find Russell would not be returned to donors.

“This investigation is still ongoing and, accordingly, there is no basis for refunding any fees at this time,” the company said in a statement. “Additionally, the Hoover Police Department has not requested the allocation or reimbursement of any donor contributions.”

But advocates for missing black women say the public deserves an explanation.

“This could re-traumatize the families of missing black women and lead to many not believing the next incident,” said Chad Dion Lassiter, social worker and executive director of the Pennsylvania Public Affairs Commission.

While the public still has plenty of questions, advocates say they are prioritizing black women and girls who are actually missing.

“I'm glad that Carly admitted that the kidnapping was a hoax. I know a lot of people still want to know why she did it. But now that we know the truth, we hope everyone can move on and start putting that same energy into finding black women who are truly missing,” said Amara Cofer, creator and host of the Black Girl Gone podcast, dedicated to missing black women and girls.

"First case to go viral"

As the doubts surrounding the Russell case grew, many critics highlighted the twisted irony in the extensive coverage and resources that were working towards Russell's safe return. Against the backdrop of the fact that thousands of other black girls who have gone missing are not getting the attention they deserve.

“This was truly the first missing person of a black woman or young girl to go viral,” said Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation.

Russell's safe return after she disappeared for 49 hours was initially hailed as a rare victory. But as more revealing evidence was released last week, it became clear that there was no kidnapping. Police found Russell's Google search history on her phone days and hours before her disappearances. She was looking for information about the kidnapping movie and Amber Alerts.

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Now that new details show Russell was never kidnapped, advocates want to keep that public momentum going to find other missing black women and girls.

“We just have to keep moving,” Wilson said.

One in five missing people in the US is a black woman

In the US, the number of missing black women and girls is growing at an alarming rate.

According to the National Crime Information Center and the US Census Bureau, black women and girls accounted for roughly 2022% of all missing persons cases in the US in 18, despite being only 7% of the population. Of the more than 546 people who went missing last year, almost 000 were black women and girls.

And, according to experts, most of the missing people receive almost no attention.

In a 2016 study called Missing White Women Syndrome, lawyer and legal scholar Zach Sommers found that when black people go missing, there are far fewer stories told about their disappearance than about those from other demographic groups.

“At any given time, tens of thousands of Americans are classified as missing by law enforcement agencies,” Sommers wrote. “However, only a fraction of these people are covered in the news. This has led some commentators to hypothesize that missing persons with certain characteristics are more likely to attract media attention than others: namely, white women and girls.”

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That's why critics say Russell's story only makes life harder for others.

“I think people are always looking for an excuse not to care about stories like this involving black women,” Cofer said. “After all this time, when the story of a missing black woman finally gets so much attention, it is essentially a hoax.” It is sad".

“In the criminal justice system, any time you have kidnapping stories like this, it makes it harder to get a conviction because the jury will remember that false story,” said Eric Guster, a former criminal defense lawyer and civil plaintiff in Birmingham, Alabama. “It will become ingrained in that person’s mind.”

"They can't close their eyes"

For decades, advocates have sought to highlight the overwhelming number of missing black women and girls, and they say one fake story won't stop that progress.

“I know people are angry, they are disappointed, they are upset, but they cannot turn a blind eye to families who are desperately looking for their missing loved ones,” Wilson said, noting that many of these disappearances occur for a wide range of reasons, from human trafficking to domestic violence and mental disorders.

“Even if this story is not actually a real missing person case, it is still a very important issue. And black women still need the same kind of attention as this young woman,” said Cheryl Neely, sociology professor at Oakland Community College in Michigan.

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