Alabama Kidnap Faker Avoids Jail

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Carlee Russell calls 911, telling the operator that she sees a toddler walking down the side of an Alabama freeway.

When police arrive, there's no toddler and Russell is gone. Her car, however, is still parked along the highway. The door is open and the car is running. Forty-nine hours later, Russell returns home, telling investigators in a brief interview that she was abducted by a man with orange hair and a woman.

As the investigation continued, police find some “really strange” internet searches in the hours before she vanished, such as the cutoff age for an AMBER Alert.

Now Russell admits via a statement from her lawyer that there was no toddler or abduction.

In a Jefferson County, Ala., circuit court Russell ordered to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation, community service and evidence of continued mental health counseling. Judge David Carpenter suspended Russell's two six-month sentences, saying jail time would be a "waste of government resources."

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• James Shelnutt – Attorney – The Shelnutt Law Firm, P.C.; 27-year Atlanta Metro Area Major Case Detective and Former S.W.A.T. Officer; Twitter: @ShelnuttLawFirm
• Caryn Stark – Psychologist- Trauma and Crime Expert; Twitter: @carnpsych
• Sheryl McCollum – Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder; Host of new podcast, “Zone 7;” Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Lee Reiber – Mobile Device Forensic Expert, COO: Oxygen Forensics, Inc., Author: “Mobile Forensic Investigations: A Guide to Evidence Collection, Analysis, and Presentation”
• Mike Hadsell – President and Founder of Peace River K9 Search and Rescue; Twitter: @K9River
• Savannah Sapp – Multimedia Journalist and Reporter for WAFF48 in Alabama; Twitter: @Savannah Sapp/Instagram:@savannahsapp.tv/Facebook:SavannahSappWAFF48

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