HOOVER, Ala. — An Alabama woman accused of falsely telling police she was abducted after stopping to check on a toddler wandering along the highway is expected to plead guilty before a judge in Jefferson County later this month. Carlee Russell set off a media firestorm in July 2023 after later admitting her ordeal had been made up.
A municipal judge found Russell, guilty of misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident in October. This allowed Russell's attorneys to "stipulate and appeal" the case, essentially sending the case to circuit court. They are trying to avoid jail time for their client.
Russell’s disappearance — and her story of being abducted after stopping her car to check on the child — captivated the nation and launched many prayer vigils and gatherings in the immediate area of her Hoover home. She returned home two days later to relative silence from authorities, before police called it a hoax.
Russell, through an attorney statement, admitted that there had been no kidnapping and that she never witnessed a toddler by the roadside. Family spokespersons later asked for prayers and forgiveness for Carlee "as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward."
“We don’t see this as a victimless crime," Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in July. “There are significant hours spent, resources expended as a result of this investigation.”
House Bill 82, currently in under review by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would revise the current penalties for false reporting and require financial restitution of those convicted.
Russell is currently scheduled to appear before a circuit court judge March 21 at 1 p.m. local time. She was previously scheduled to stand trial March 18.
