Woman convicted of faking her abduction on Interstate 459 in Hoover

Carlee Russell in Hoover, Alabama, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 – Photo from ABC 33/40

A judge in Hoover has found a woman guilty of two misdemeanor charges connected to a faked abduction in July which attracted national attention.

According to ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, the judge has also recommended that Carlee Russell pay just under $18,000 in restitution as well as serve six months in jail on each count.

Russell, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, is expected to appeal the conviction to a circuit court.

Russell, 26, disappeared after calling 911 on July 13 to report a toddler wandering beside a stretch of Interstate 459. She returned home two days later and told police she had been abducted and forced into a vehicle.

Her attorney, Emory Anthony, said she made the story up. In a statement read by police, Anthony said Russell was not kidnapped, did not see a baby on the side of the road, did not leave the city and acted alone. He said Russell apologized and he asked for prayers and forgiveness as she “addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding that she made a mistake in this matter.”

Hoover police charged Russell with misdemeanor false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident.