An Alabama nursing student who faked her own kidnapping last summer has finally broken her silence on social media.
“I never intended to do a birthday post, but it would be rude not to publicly acknowledge the goodness God has shown me,” Carly Russell, now 27, wrote on her private blog. According to FOX 5, the Instagram account posted on Monday.
“Not only has God given me the opportunity to live another year, but He has changed the trajectory of my life from the negative situation I was in this time last year,” she added.
During a court appearance in March, Russell cited “emotional issues and stress” as the reason she called 911 on July 13, 2023, to report a toddler crawling on the side of the highway near her Hoover home.
Officers later found her car on the side of the road with the door open and her cell phone inside.
Russell’s disappearance sparked a statewide search by local, state and federal authorities that ended when she turned up on her parents’ doorstep 48 hours later.
She initially told police she had been abducted by a white man with orange hair, but that excuse quickly fell apart when police discovered she had Googled the kidnapping movie “Taken” and the Amber Alert system in the days before her disappearance.
Russell’s lawyers released a statement a week after his return, admitting that he had not been kidnapped.
“To all of you who have supported me, your kindness and support means the world to me,” Russell said in his latest Instagram statement.
“A text message, a phone call, a direct message on social media, a post, a prayer, a thoughtful gift, an encouraging word – no amount is too little and every one of them has helped me fight to live another day. I am so grateful for helping me find the light in my darkest moments,” she continued.
“The work is not done,” Russell acknowledged, “and as I enter into another year of my life, I am full of hope and optimism as I continue to push through challenges, cherish those who care for me, and open my heart and mind to embrace the future and God’s plan for my life.”
In March, Russell pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of filing a false police report. She avoided jail time and was given 12 months probation, 100 hours of community service and ongoing mental health counseling.
She was ordered to pay $17,974.88 in restitution to the city of Hoover.
It has not been revealed where Russell went during the 48 hours she was missing, and it is unclear what the former nursing student and spa employee is doing now.
