Panic and worry crept up the nation’s spine as news surrounding a young Black woman’s kidnapping clung to social medias and headlines. Carlee Russell, 26-year-old nursing student from Alabama, disappeared for 49 hours, and while many celebrated her eventual return, it quickly turned sour when she admitted to staging the incident.
Driving down the highway on July 13, 2023, Russell pulled over to make a concerning 911 call regarding a young toddler on the roadside. She quickly followed this call with one to her sister-in-law, who reported hearing a scream before losing contact. Authorities who responded to the scene did not find Russell or a small child; however, Russell’s car was still there with her phone, wig, and purse left behind.
“[After the news leaked, Carlee Russel] got a lot of media attention, and her case went viral,” Andrew Smith, junior, said.
Almost 49 hours later, on July 15, Russell came home on foot late into the night, claiming a woman and orange-haired man were behind the assault. Police found this to be unverifiable and were only further suspicious of her return when they found internet searches on Russell’s phone asking about paying for Amber Alerts and the movie “Taken,” which documents a woman’s kidnapping and trafficking. Despite this looming doubt, Russell’s parents made an appearance on NBC’s “Today” where they supported that she was abducted and had to “fight for her life.” The story did not hold up for long due to Russell admitting to lying, leading police to more questions about where she truly was during the 49-hour search.
“Russell not only wasted law enforcements’ time, but she also wasted time that could have been used elsewhere. She should have a steeper penalty to correlate to her actions, seeing as lying to the authorities is a fine of $1,000 or up to five years in jail, and time cannot be recovered,” Jamari Maxime, senior, said.
After Russell’s admission and surrender to authorities, many began to wonder if she would be charged for her lies. It can now be said that Russell is facing two misdemeanor charges: one for lying to law enforcement and another for falsely reporting an incident. Though she is facing serious repercussions, the panic and expended resources—not to mention opened wounds for families with lost loved ones—are enough for some to wish she was charged with more. Whether or not justice is being served, Russell’s case is shedding light on the many Black American unsolved cases. Black Americans make up 31% of missing report cases, despite only being 14% of the population; furthermore, there are 6,000 unsolved missing Black American cases.
“Even if this case is, in fact, not a legitimate case of someone missing, this is still a very important issue. And Black women still need the type of attention that this young woman got,” Cheryl Neely, a Professor of Sociology at Oakland Community College in Michigan, said in an article.
No court date is set for Russell, but her attorney predicts it will be sometime in October 2023 when additional charges will be evaluated.
