Appeal canceled, plea hearing set for Carlee Russell, woman who faked her own abduction

Russell originally “vanished” in July, prompting a panicked search. She later admitted to faking the whole thing and has been convicted of false reporting, something her attorney planned to fight.

Mary Walrath-Holdridge
 USA TODAY

Carlethia “Carlee” Russell, the Alabama woman who sparked a nationwide hunt after faking her own disappearance, will not receive a state trial to appeal her conviction.

Russell initially went “missing” on July 13 and returned home two days later on July 15. After an ongoing police investigation, Russell admitted through her attorney on July 24 that she had never been abducted or missing and the entire incident was a hoax.

Russell, 26, pleaded not guilty to charges of false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident in October. She was later found guilty by Municipal Judge Brad Bishop, who recommended that Russell spend a year in jail and pay fines totaling nearly $20,000.

Russell had a state trial to appeal the conviction set for March 18, with her legal team saying jail time wasn’t warranted.

But on Thursday, Jefferson County Circuit Judge David Carpenter ordered the state trial removed from the docket, reported AL.com. Instead, a plea hearing is now set for March 21.

Russell’s attorney, Emory Anthony, did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Friday

Carlee Russell investigation: What happens next? Police say they’re still on the case.

Carlee Russell abduction hoax

Russell initially went “missing” on July 13 after calling police from a Birmingham suburb to report “a male toddler in a diaper” on the side of Interstate 459 South, as previously reported by USA TODAY. She told the operator she was “stopping to check on him,” and then called a family friend to inform them of the situation.

The family friend heard her scream during the call and then lost contact with Russell. The Hoover Police Department arrived on the scene roughly five minutes later to find Russell’s wig, cell phone and purse with an Apple Watch inside on the roadway near her empty vehicle. There was no sign of Russell or a child.

Police quickly launched a search for the woman, with local, state and federal authorities getting involved. The case drew national attention as people across the country kept up with news of the search.

Carlee Russell returns home, admits she wasn’t kidnapped

Russell returned home on July 15 and allegedly “gave detectives her statement so that they can continue to pursue her abductor,” Talitha Russell, Carlee’s mother, told TODAY on July 18. Carlee’s mother and father told reporters that their daughter had indeed been abducted and that the perpetrator was still at large.

Police continued to investigate until July 24, when police read a statement from Russell’s lawyer at a press conference, confirming that Russell had never actually been missing. The statement said she acted alone in pulling off the deceit. She apologized to the community, searchers, police and her family for her “mistake.”

“The sad thing is … there were so many people that were involved … took this thing very seriously,” the statement read. “It is what it is.”

Neither Russell nor her attorney have provided a public explanation for why she faked the abduction.

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