Carlee Russell Fired from Alabama Spa After Controversial Kidnapping Claims

Create a news article using this content Carlee Russell’s mom speaks up Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morningSign up to our free morning US email news bulletinCarlee Russell has been fired from the Alabama beauty spa where she was working on the night she claimed to have been kidnapped, according to a new report.Stuart Rome, the owner of the Woodhouse spa in Birmingham, told the New York Post that Ms Russell was no longer employed there and staff were “pissed” about her abduction claims.The 25-year-old told police she was kidnapped while stopping to help a toddler on Interstate 459 on 13 July. However, Alabama police have expressed doubt over Ms Russell’s abduction claims and revealed she appeared to have made suspicious internet searches about kidnappings prior to the incident.Mr Rome said staff had been devastated by Ms Russell’s disappearance, and had passed out flyers in an effort to help find her.“As the information came out that there were some questionable things, we’ve been a little pissed off, mainly because so many people took so much time out to search,” Mr Rome toldthe New York Post.Hoover police chief Nick Derzis said during a press conference on Wednesday that investigators were “unable to verify” most of the 25-year-old’s statements.Key PointsShow latest update 1690102800Police doubt Carlee Russell’s kidnapping claims. Could she face consequences?While police have not made any official allegations against Ms Russell, should they find that she made a false report, law enforcement could choose to charge her.Section 13A-10-9 of the Alabama criminal code states that making a false report to law enforcement, knowingly, is a Class A misdemeanour.When asked if law enforcement was planning on charging Ms Russell on Wednesday, Mr Derzis replied: “To be perfectly honest with you, that hasn’t even entered our mind or been discussed.”Ariana Baio has the story.Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 10:001690097400Boyfriend of Carlee Russell deletes social media postsTwo days later, on 15 July, she returned home.Her boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons posted on Facebook announcing her return and attesting to her claim that she was kidnapped. He wrote that Ms Russell had been “fighting for her life for 48 hours” and not “physically or mentally stable” enough to speak about her kidnapping.Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 08:301690092000Four unanswered questions in the mysterious case of Carlee RussellHoover police chief Nick Derzis told reporters that authorities were “unable to verify” most of the statements that Ms Russell gave police about her whereabouts during the 49 hours she was missing.Ariana Baio examines four unanswered questions about the perplexing case.Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 07:001690086600Carlee Russell ‘fired’ from beauty spa job, according to reportCarlee Russell has been fired from the Alabama beauty spa where she was working on the night she claimed to have been kidnapped, according to a new report.Owner Stuart Rome told the New York Post Ms Russell was no longer employed at the Woodhouse spa in Birmingham, and that staff were “pissed” about her abduction claims.The 25-year-old told police she was kidnapped while stopping to help a toddler on Interstate 459 on 13 July. However, police say they have doubts about her account after finding suspicious internet searches on her phone.Mr Rome said staff had been devastated by Ms Russell’s disappearance, and had passed out flyers in an effort to help find her.“As the information came out that there were some questionable things, we’ve been a little pissed off, mainly because so many people took so much time out to search,” Mr Rome told the New York Post.A 911 call revealed that Carlee Russell was ‘unresponsive but breathing’ when she returned to her home in Hoover, Alabama. (Hoover Police Department)Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 05:301690081223Carlee Russell claimed she was kidnapped by a man with orange hair. Police say they can’t verify any of itCarlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell vanished on 13 July after calling 911 to report she had seen a toddler walking on the side of Interstate 459 in Alabama.The 25-year-old told dispatch she stopped her car to check on the child, and called a family member before losing contact, according to the Hoover Police Department.By the time officers arrived five minutes later, Ms Russell had disappeared with her car engine still running, and the toddler was nowhere to be found.Law enforcement and family mounted a desperate search for the missing woman and pleaded with the public for help.Then just over 48 hours later, police were notified that Ms Russell had returned home on foot.She told detectives that she had been kidnapped by a white man with “orange hair”, and held captive in a semi-truck trailer and house before escaping.What really happened to Carlee Russell?Carlee Russell vanished after calling 911 to report seeing a young boy in diapers on the side of a busy interstate. Police say they have serious doubts about her story, Bevan Hurley reports Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 04:001690075823Police are using ‘every other synonym for lie except saying she lied’An Alabama lawyer has outlined the possible crimes Carlee Russell may have committed after police haven’t been able to verify her claims about her 49-hour disappearance.The 25-year-old claims she was kidnapped, but police have shared her internet search history which suggests the ordeal may have been staged.Birmingham lawyer Eric Guster, a longtime criminal defence attorney, told WVTM13 that he, like many others, grew interested in the case. He added that the message coming from the police was clear.“She says she was kidnapped, and a kidnapping didn’t happen. (They say) our citizens are safe. There’s not a kidnapper out there. So, they use every other synonym for lie except saying she lied,” he told the local TV station.The attorney added that the search for Ms Russell wasted time and funds for both the police and members of the community.The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has the story.Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 02:301690072223Carlee Russell’s parents insist she was kidnapped as police cast doubt on claimsThe parents of Carlee Russell, the 25-year-old Alabama woman who disappeared for 48 hours after reporting that she spotted a child on the side of a highway, have spoken out for the first time since their daughter returned.“We tried to hug as best we could, but I had to stand back because she was not in a good state,” Talitha Russell told The Daily Beast earlier this week about seeing her daughter return home. “So we had to stand back and let medical professionals work with her.”While Ms Russell has been reported safe, mystery still swirls around what happened in the two days in which she vanished.Police have since shared their doubt about her claims, suggesting that her internet search history indicates that she may have staged her own kidnapping.Her parents have maintained that she was “absolutely” abducted. “There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life, and there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life,” the mother told the outlet.Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 01:301690068623Carlee Russell sent several bizarre tweets before disappearingBefore 25-year-old Carlee Russell disappeared for a mysterious 49 hours, she posted a series of bizarre tweets.On the day she went missing on 13 July, she tweeted at 8.55pm: “today was a GREAT day God be looking out im telling you!!”One minute later, Ms Russell wrote: “someone to tell you ‘i love you’ and don’t got a reason.”Finally, she tweeted, “yeah i want a family now” at 9.19pm. Just moments later, around 9.30pm, the Alabama woman called 911 and told detectives that she was following a lost toddler along the interstate.After she returned home, Ms Russell claimed was abducted by a man with “orange hair.” She turned up on foot at her parent’s home with $107 tucked in her right sock, and alleged she had barely survived the encounter.Kelly Rissman has the full story.Bevan Hurley23 July 2023 00:301690065023Police doubt Carlee Russell’s kidnapping claims. Could she face consequences?While police have not made any official allegations against Ms Russell, should they find that she made a false report, law enforcement could choose to charge her.Section 13A-10-9 of the Alabama criminal code states that making a false report to law enforcement, knowingly, is a Class A misdemeanour.When asked if law enforcement was planning on charging Ms Russell on Wednesday, Mr Derzis replied: “To be perfectly honest with you, that hasn’t even entered our mind or been discussed.”Ariana Baio has the story.Bevan Hurley22 July 2023 23:301690061423Boyfriend of Carlee Russell deletes social media postsTwo days later, on 15 July, she returned home.Her boyfriend, Thomar Latrell Simmons posted on Facebook announcing her return and attesting to her claim that…