AL - Carlethia “Carlee” Russell, 25, faked own abduction, Birmingham, 13 Jul ‘23 #4

[squareandrabbet]

She stole from her employer, but as far as I'm concerned, she also stole from countless LE budgets. That's crime on a grand scale. She may as well have embezzled it.

There's not a wee mistake.

No Google search is going to show her how to put money like that back in the till.

She should be charged accordingly and held to account.

JMO

Agreed, but unfortunately that isn't going to work as any sort of punitive measure, if/as long as her parents pay for it.

 

[CTPDMom]

She stole from her employer, but as far as I'm concerned, she also stole from countless LE budgets. That's crime on a grand scale.

Agreed... and I'll add what I think is a bigger crime, the human toll. Not the least of which is the responders. Every cop that responded, didn't eat, didn't sleep, worried and stressed over the missing toddler and the missing young lady. Yes, this is their job, and they won't generally ask for sympathy for this. But these things take a physical and psychological toll, and there's no taking that away. In this case, that toll was inflicted upon them intentionally and completely unnecessarily.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Derrica Wilson, a co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation:

“We are certainly disheartened by the latest revelation in this investigation, but we cannot be dismayed because there are so many people of color who actually need our help, and they’re counting on us to help bring them home. So we’re calling on the community to not let this single incident undermine our efforts to help find them. ... We have shown especially like what it looks like − the power in making our cases a priority too − and we must move forward and build upon the momentum of making sure the same energy is exhausted in cases of missing people regardless of race and gender and zip code," Wilson said.

Nonprofit urges people to fight for missing people of color despite Carlee Russell case

Carlee Russell lied, but there are many missing people of color who need attention like the kind she generated, says the Black and Missing Foundation

www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

Does that non-profit help people of all races who are missing? TIA I love her statement about the same energy exhausted for all missing people, regardless of race, gender, and zip code. That's what I want.

 

[Quill]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>

I, for one, am in favor of appropriate punishment in this case. The first reason is that Carlee needs to be made to understand the seriousness of her actions here. It is quite clear that she will not have a snowball's chance in hell of learning this unless someone outside her family takes this on. They are incapable at this point. Her punishment should fit her crime, though. That will be determined by someone far more knowledgeable of the laws of the state of Alabama than I.

It should serve two purposes : 1) if there is any chance that she can learn from this and expand her ability to care about others and the consequences our actions cause for others as well as herself, it should be attempted for her sake as well as others. There is a chance that nothing you could do to her would ever help her to make that happen since, as a poster upthread has pointed out that children develop their ability to empathize with others by around age 6. But if there is a chance, you must try. If nothing else, maybe she won't escalate her attention-seeking behavior. If it does not, then 2) You make it a crime to do what she did to deter others from doing the same. You make her an example for all the other attention-seeking, self absorbed people out there who want to try the same shenanigans thinking it would be a fun ride to terrorize an entire community and cause people to agonize over the possibilities of what a kidnap victim might be enduring. You make someone think twice before orchestrating a charade that puts the lives of first-responders, innocent bystanders and searchers at risk. I'm also not forgetting every parent of every murdered and kidnapped young woman out there who lived in agony reliving their own horrific experience because of this girl's selfish and reckless action. Yes, it should have consequences, if not to keep her from repeating it, to deter others from repeating this reckless pattern of behavior.

 

[neesaki]

She stole from her employer, but as far as I'm concerned, she also stole from countless LE budgets. That's crime on a grand scale. She may as well have embezzled it.

There's not a wee mistake.

No Google search is going to show her how to put money like that back in the till.

She should be charged accordingly and held to account.

JMO

I personally believe her wasting of public funds should be treated as a theft. Maybe a new law needs to be written for this very thing. Treat it the same as a crime of embezzlement.

 

[Chewy]

I personally believe her wasting of public funds should be treated as a theft. Maybe a new law needs to be written for this very thing. Treat it the same as a crime of embezzlement.

Not just theft but destroying all these agency's budgets. Abductions run on the 48 hour model, all true crime buffs know that LE jumps on this because if the person is not located within 48 hours they will not likely be found alive. In this situation she stated it was a toddler and then herself. That means a high gear OVERTIME PAYMENT search where everyone is out in full force rotating through those 48 hours. She came home 49 hours later.


The budget for the LE and anyone else who was involved was completely used up in those 49 hours. This cuts in to other much needed services. Examples A stakeout in front of a suspected drug traffickers location, surveilance on ongoing investigations, investigations into human trafficking, rush jobs on DNA testing, etc etc etc,

Anyone who has watched Mindhunter 2nd season remembers how the investigation into the Atlanta Child Murders were stalled at every turn because of lack of funding in the budget.

She didn't just waste their money on HER case, she stole it from everyone else's. She should have to pay it back. She can make a payment plan and pay it back over the rest of her life. That's fine. This isn't about vengence, it's about reality. And it will probably have more of an impact on people not carelessly playing games like this, if they know they are going to have to put their money where their LIE is, if they get caught.

 

[Quill]

Not just theft but destroying all these agency's budgets. Abductions run on the 48 hour model, all true crime buffs know that LE jumps on this because if the person is not located within 48 hours they will not likely be found alive. In this situaiton she stated it was a toddler and then herself. That means a high gear OVERTIME PAYMENT search where everyone is out in full force rotating through those 48 hours. She came home 49 hours later.


The budget for the LE and anyone else who was involved was completely used up in those 49 hours. This cuts in to other much needed services. Examples A stakeout in front of a suspected drug trafficers location, surveilance on ongoing investigations, investigations into human trafficking, rush jobs on DNA testing, etc etc etc,

Anyone who has watched Mindhunter 2nd season remembers how the investigation into the Atlanta Child Murders were stalled at every turn because of lack of funding in the budget.

She didn't just waste their money on HER cases, she stole it from everyone else's. She should have to pay it back. She can make a payment plan and pay it back over the rest of her life. That's fine. This isn't about vengence, it's about reality. And it will probably have more of an impact on people not carelessly playing games like this, if they know they are going to have to put their money where their LIE is, if they get caught.

BBM
"This isn't about vengence, it's about reality." ----This cannot be repeated loudly enough.

 

[neesaki]

The more I think of it, the more I think she chose that Highway at that specific location to pull her disappearing hoax, because of the proximity to that housing subdivision.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t she have chosen a more rural area with no traffic cams.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Black and Missing Foundation Statement on the Carlethia "Carlee" Russell Investigation | BAMFI

We must remain vigilant and not lose sight of the bigger picture while we await additional information on the Carlethia “Carlee” Russell investigation.

www.blackandmissinginc.com

 

[thefragile7393]

Does that non-profit help people of all races who are missing? TIA I love her statement about the same energy exhausted for all missing people, regardless of race, gender, and zip code. That's what I want.

They focus on a part of the population that often does not as much publicity in missing person cases. If you research, you will see the media stats about missing ppl of color, to include indigenous people, are often far less than non people of color. That’s why organizations like this, along with Native Hope, exist.

 

[mickey2942]

This will quietly slip away without punishment, in my opinion. MOO

Probably. Jussie Smollett actually had a jury trial, was sentenced to jail, and barely spent 48 hours there, if that. He is adamant that he is completely innocent.

At least this gal has admitted that this was a hoax. The story fell apart. And Probably on the advice of her attorney came clean before digging herself an even deeper mess.

 

[dotr]

• 
  
• ''This page was last edited on 26 July 2023, at 14:01 (UTC).''
• Carlee Russell disappearance hoax - Wikipedia
• ''Carlethia "Carlee" Nichole Russell (born 1997/1998)[1][2] is an American nursing student from Hoover, Alabama, who was alleged to have disappeared for 49 hours on July 13, 2023, and reported that she had been abducted. Russell appeared at her parents' house on July 15, and questions were raised as to whether an abduction actually occurred.[3] The alleged disappearance went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms.[4] She later admitted it was a hoax.[5]
  
  Russell allegedly disappeared from the side of Interstate 459 after claiming to have stopped because she saw an unattended young child on the side of the highway. She made a 911 call shortly before 'disappearing' at 9:34 pm[6] on July 13, which has been publicly released.[7] Carlee, a black female, later reported that she was abducted by a white male and placed inside a tractor trailer truck, escaped, and was re-captured and placed in a car.[8] After claiming that she was undressed and photographed while blindfolded,[9] though not bound at the wrists to avoid marks of being bound, she said she escaped again. Crime Stoppers raised more than $63,000 in reward money for the search of Russell.[10]''

 

[SMK777]

I personally believe her wasting of public funds should be treated as a theft. Maybe a new law needs to be written for this very thing. Treat it the same as a crime of embezzlement.

I would agree.

 

[Cubby]

Yup, you said the magic word:

C-to-the-O-to-the-N - well, you get the idea:

Contrition.

IMO, that's the major thing Carlee lacks; and that's what people most long to see coming forth from her.

She seems, in fact, fairly UNrepentant, on the whole.

Whereas... the overwhelming majority of us believe we have responsibilities as members of polite society.

And when people are privileged to live in polite society, by what seems like the apparent achievements of their parents and not much else to date; well, many other people don't like to see that type of privilege squandered and tap-danced over.

We like to see people use it as a springboard for good.

There is merit for "walk a mile in other people's shoes" in many situations; but Carlee crossed over into "shouting Fire! in a crowded theater" territory, which is generally universally decried in the interests of civil behavior and societal standards.

The time for Carlee and her family to talk about making restitution to the polite and civil society is, IMO, now.

In fact, I was just listening to a true crime podcast episode featuring a young fairly privileged middle-class woman whose parents had to make the bitter Sophie's Choice to take the money they could afford to collate to pay for a good defense attorney (barely), but which funds wouldn't then extend to bail, leaving her in prison until at minimum her trial, which was not particularly speedy; and that, IMO, was "tough love".

Post of the case!!!! Thank you wasn't enough.

 

[Cubby]

Agreed, but unfortunately that isn't going to work as any sort of punitive measure, if/as long as her parents pay for it.

I think her parents livelihood will suffer if they pay for it. Their choice, their mistakes to make.

Jmo

 

[ElizB]

The more I think of it, the more I think she chose that Highway at that specific location to pull her disappearing hoax, because of the proximity to that housing subdivision.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t she have chosen a more rural area with no traffic cams.

If she didn’t think about her google history, I doubt traffic cams even entered her mind.

 

[ms_writer]

The more I think of it, the more I think she chose that Highway at that specific location to pull her disappearing hoax, because of the proximity to that housing subdivision.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t she have chosen a more rural area with no traffic cams.

I agree. I think her prolonged slow roll down the highway was because she realized she pulled off a little too soon, and she needed to align her car better with her planned escape route.

 

[Deleted member 326769]

Does that non-profit help people of all races who are missing? TIA I love her statement about the same energy exhausted for all missing people, regardless of race, gender, and zip code. That's what I want.

The simple answer is no they don’t.

 

[Chimera]

It will be fascinating to know more about the houses close to the area and road where Carlee staged her "stunt" ?
As in, are the homes all occupied, or are some of them empty but managed by realtors, etc. ?
Agreed with @neesaki above in that Carlee prob. didn't choose that location at random.
I'd imagine LE have been looking into this as well ?

As far as penalties, people have been imprisoned for theft before, sometimes not even large amounts.
Carlee stole more than the items from her workplace considering the time and effort expended in her behalf !

Speculation : Was work going well, or was she having trouble at the spa ?
Had she lifted items before and was her manager or the other employees starting to ask questions, and it was a situation where she knew she was going to be in trouble ?
So was it a final gesture to her workplace, i.e., "I'm out of here and I'm taking things with me !" , type of thinking ?

Carlee cost the city thousands in man hours and detectives on the case, looking for her and an imaginary toddler that she conjured up.
Why should she escape the consequences and skate free ?
It's not about 'anger', it's about needing justice, and for her to pay for her crimes.
If she evades justice, what might her next 'stunt' be ?
She will have learned nothing -- which is wrong, and how will that help her ?

Besides jail time, she should be made to go along and assist with genuine searches and trudge through the woods or wherever, hot and bitten by bugs and tired --just like so many searchers who have done the same and who are willing to take time from their own work or days off and search tirelessly.
Not to mention the emotional toll.

Seeking justice for crimes committed is never about 'hate' or 'anger'(which accomplishes nothing); which I've not seen displayed here.
It's about the need for people to face the repercussions of the crimes they have committed ... and hopefully learn a lesson, aka -- not to repeat them.

Carlee betrayed the trust of so many people in the most horrific way.
Think about it -- if she had stolen from, or lied to and sent on a wild goose chase searching for her -- those who defend her actions as minimal offenses, would they feel differently ?
Omo.

 

[neesaki]

It will be fascinating to know more about the houses close to the area and road where Carlee staged her "stunt" ?
As in, are the homes all occupied, or are some of them empty but managed by realtors, etc. ?
Agreed with @neesaki above in that Carlee prob. didn't choose that location at random.
I'd imagine LE have been looking into this as well ?

As far as penalties, people have been imprisoned for theft before, sometimes not even large amounts.
Carlee stole more than the items from her workplace considering the time and effort expended in her behalf !

Speculation : Was work going well, or was she having trouble at the spa ?
Had she lifted items before and was her manager or the other employees starting to ask questions, and it was a situation where she knew she was going to be in trouble ?
So was it a final gesture to her workplace, i.e., "I'm out of here and I'm taking things with me !" , type of thinking ?

Carlee cost the city thousands in man hours and detectives on the case, looking for her and an imaginary toddler that she conjured up.
Why should she escape the consequences and skate free ?
It's not about 'anger', it's about needing justice, and for her to pay for her crimes.
If she evades justice, what might her next 'stunt' be ?
She will have learned nothing -- which is wrong, and how will that help her ?

Besides jail time, she should be made to go along and assist with genuine searches and trudge through the woods or wherever, hot and bitten by bugs and tired --just like so many searchers who have done the same and who are willing to take time from their own work or days off and search tirelessly.
Not to mention the emotional toll.

Seeking justice for crimes committed is never about 'hate' or 'anger'(which accomplishes nothing); which I've not seen displayed here.
It's about the need for people to face the repercussions of the crimes they have committed ... and hopefully learn a lesson, aka -- not to repeat them.

Carlee betrayed the trust of so many people in the most horrific way.
Think about it -- if she had stolen from, or lied to and sent on a wild goose chase searching for her -- those who defend her actions as minimal offenses, would they feel differently ?
Omo.

I think it could be one of two reasons she chose that spot….
Staying in a empty house or
Meeting up with friend for a ride or staying with a friend.
There are some apartments in that subdivision too, as well as a park with some type of recreational clubhouse facilities.
There has to be cameras all over that neighborhood though.