Woman who 'created panic and alarm' after abduction hoax is charged

An Alabama female who confessed to lying astir being kidnapped has been charged.

Carlee Russell, who claimed she was abducted by a man and a female aft stopping to cheque connected a toddler who was stepping connected The broadside of a engaged highway, admitted the full script was untrue.

The 25-year-old had called 911 soon earlier disappearing connected 13 July - sparking a nationwide hunt - but she returned location 49 hours later.

Russell, who is simply a nursing student, besides made up that she was forced into a immense motortruck and taken to a location wherever a man and a female told her to get undressed and past took photos of her.

She now faces 2 charges - falsely reporting an incident and falsely reporting to rule enforcement.

Russell posted a enslaved of $2,000 (£1,556) and was released from jail, but could look a twelvemonth in situation and a $6,000 (£4,668) good if convicted of The charges.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said "we intend to afloat prosecute this case", adding his agency will show The investigation for imaginable further charges.

Mr Marshall said Russell's hoax was not a "victimless crime" pointing to The "significant hours spent" and "resources expended" in The hunt for her.

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Police main Nicholas Derzis said her "decisions that nighttime created panic and alarm" for group in The Alabama metropolis of Hoover and nationwide arsenic "concern grew that a kidnapper was connected The loose utilizing a mini kid arsenic bait".

Mr Derzis added: "The communicative opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings, immoderate of which moreover helped organise searches."

He besides said investigators were incapable to corroborate galore of her claims.

However, he said that during The people of The investigation, officials searched connected her telephone connected really to return money from a registry without getting caught and astir The kidnapping movie Taken.

Before doubts complete her communicative emerged, her mother Talitha had told NBC News: "There were moments erstwhile she physically had to conflict for her life, and location were moments erstwhile she had to mentally conflict for her life. She made it back."

In a connection publication retired connected Monday, Russell's lawyer made clear that "there was nary kidnapping" connected 13 July and that she "did not time off The Hoover area erstwhile she was identified arsenic a missing person".

It besides said: "My customer did not person immoderate thief in this incident. This was a azygous enactment done by herself."