Carlee Russell calls 911, telling the operator that she sees a toddler walking down the side of an Alabama freeway. 

When police arrive, there's no toddler and  Russell is gone. Her car, however, is still parked along the highway. The door is open and the car is running. Forty-nine hours later, Russell returns home, telling investigators in a brief interview that she was abducted by a man with orange hair and a woman.  

As the investigation continues, police find some “really strange” internet searches in the hours before she vanished, such as the cut-off age for an AMBER Alert.  

Now Russell admits via a statement from her lawyer that there was no toddler or abduction. The 26-year-old was found guilty of misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. With the conviction,  Russell's attorneys agreed to "stipulate and appeal" the case. This legal move will transfer the case to circuit court the case will tried again.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• James Shelnutt – Attorney – The Shelnutt Law Firm, P.C.; 27-year Atlanta Metro Area Major Case Detective and Former S.W.A.T. Officer; Twitter: @ShelnuttLawFirm
• Caryn Stark – Psychologist- Trauma and Crime Expert; Twitter: @carnpsych
• Sheryl McCollum – Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder; Host of new podcast, “Zone 7;” Twitter: @149zone7
• Lee Reiber – Mobile Device Forensic Expert, COO: Oxygen Forensics, Inc., Author: “Mobile Forensic Investigations: A Guide to Evidence Collection, Analysis, and Presentation”
• Mike Hadsell – President and Founder of Peace River K9 Search and Rescue; Twitter: @K9River
• Savannah Sapp – Multimedia Journalist and Reporter for WAFF48 in Alabama; Twitter: @Savannah Sapp/Instagram:@savannahsapp.tv/Facebook:SavannahSappWAFF48

 

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