The case of Carlee Russell has captured the nation's attention. The 25-year-old Alabama resident was reportedly kidnapped after calling 911 after a toddler walking along the side of I-459 south of Birmingham. Three days later, Russell reappeared at home with a story of kidnapping and sexual exploitation. However, the subsequent police investigation revealed a much different story. In a press conference, police said they had found no evidence that Russell had been kidnapped. Furthermore, police said that Russell’s search history for the day before her disappearance included the kidnapping movie Taken, searches about triggering an Amber Alert, and research into a bus ticket from Birmingham, Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee.
This led to a wave of backlash against Russell, and several related figures. Russell has been reportedly fired from her job at a spa in Birmingham. Furthermore, the spa's owner says the establishment's social media accounts have received a deluge of negative reviews. Elsewhere, a Crime Stoppers organization has been criticized for collecting a crowdfunded reward for Russell's safe return. The organization received additional criticism when they announced that they would not be refunding the money. There have been many theories about why Russell did what she did. However her boyfriend, who is at the center of many of those theories, has publicly spoken out for the first time.
Carlee Russell's Boyfriend Speaks Out
Speaking with The New York Post, Thomar Simmons asked people to leave Russell alone. “The only thing I can say is, I want everyone to stop bullying her. I know what it seems like what she did. Just stop bullying on social media. Think about her mental health. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t. Nobody deserves to be cyberbullied.” Russell has refused to cooperate with police beyond an initial interview after she returned home last weekend. Why she did what she did remains to be seen. However, if this was a faked kidnapping, it's likely that Russell did not expect it to become national news.
For many armchair detectives, the detail that Russell's wig had been found in her abandoned car was a strong indicator was something was amiss. “That was when the majority of Birmingham was like, ‘She’s lying.’ That’s when it was split down the middle where there was those that believed her and those that thought she was lying. It was the wig. First of all, your wig is going to be secure. Second, if somebody’s taking you, they’re going to try to cause the least attention they can. If people see a wig on the side of the road— People call the police when they see mannequin heads hanging out the side of our cars,” hair stylist Kyra Joyner told The Post.
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