SHE made headlines when she vanished from the side of a highway shortly after calling emergency services to report a toddler wandering alone on the freeway.
Two days later Carlee Russell turned up dishevelled at her parents’ door after escaping from her kidnappers – and she had a shocking story to tell.
She’d been abducted by a man and a woman in Hoover, Alabama, after they’d used the baby to lure her out of her car, she said. The couple held her captive, forced her to strip and took pictures of her naked body before she broke free and ran home.
But it was all a lie.
There was no baby, there was no kidnapping and there was no daring escape. Carlee (25) confessed through her attorney to making it all up – and she’s now making headlines across America all over again because of the depth of her deception.
She’d googled Taken, a movie starring Liam Neeson as a retired CIA agent who travels across Europe to save his kidnapped daughter. Carlee left takeaway food and her wig in her abandoned car as part of her elaborate ruse.
It also emerged she’d stolen a bathrobe and toilet paper from the spa she worked at before she staged her abduction, which police believe she used during her disappearance. She’s since been fired from the spa and could face up to a year in jail for falsely reporting an incident to law-enforcement authorities.
Carlee’s disappearance sparked fears about human trafficking and a massive manhunt ensued involving volunteers, police officers, dog units and helicopter support.
この記事は YOU South Africa の 10 August 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は YOU South Africa の 10 August 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William