What’s up, y’all? I must admit that I don’t always follow the news like I should, due to the fact that it sometimes can trigger my anxiety and/or depress me. Usually, I obtain my info from either Twitter, The Breakfast Club, or news stories that are aired on my local radio station or featured in my Bing or Google feed. With all that being said, I’m perplexed as to how the Carlee Russell incident managed to evade my radar, but it did. The first time I heard anything about the situation was this past Tuesday (July 18, 2023), when Lovelyti reported on the story, and by that time, the shit was about to hit the fan.
As I watched the video, all kinds of emotions went through me, as I’m sure they did with everyone else that followed this story from the very beginning. The only difference is, by the time I saw Ti’s report, the cops were already doubting Carlee’s story, and some naysayers were coming out of the woodwork. In hindsight, the child did claim that she followed a baby down the interstate for over 600 yards, was snatched up by a balding man with orange hair, and while she was in captivity, her abductors fed her Cheez-Its. Reminds me of that cockamamie story Virigina (played by Karreuche Tran) came up with during the “Quicksand” episode of Claws (in case you’re wondering, Virigina claimed she was snatched up by some men, who later smeared her feet with peanut butter and had swamp pigs licking it off…only she later learned there were no pigs, and the men were the ones licking her feet. It turns out the kidnappers had a See n’ Say, and were playing it in the background, hence the reason she heard pigs snorting as the men sucked her toes. Right…). Nonetheless, I hoped that the young girl actually was telling the truth and that she didn’t put her family, friends, and most of the nation through turmoil—not to mention possibly wasting time and resources—just to get attention.
I received my answer the very next day, when Ti posted another Carlee related video.
The doggone girl faked the whole thing.
Learning this whole “kidnapping” was a hoax was like going through the Jussie Smollett situation all over again. As irritated as I was to hear that news, I can just imagine how the people who followed this story from start to finish felt. Actually, I don’t have to imagine it, because the outrage on Black Twitter spoke volumes. Topics such as #NowCarlee were trending for 24 hrs. after the police held their press conference.
And of course, they had to crank out the memes.
While writing this post, Carlee admitted—via her lawyer—that she fabricated the kidnapping. Surprise, surprise. *Sarcasm*
For the life of me I can’t understand why Carlee would do something like this. Many claim she did it to get her boyfriend’s attention. If that’s the case, she failed miserably. Some folks are giving her a pass, saying that Carlee must be mentally ill to do what she did. I have to agree with what Ti said in her videos; nowadays people use mental illness to excuse bad behavior—Kanye and Tyrese—and I’m getting a bit sick of it. Be that as it may, it doesn’t absolve her. She should still face some sort of punishment for this farce. Aside from the emotional manipulation and the wasted resources, people donated money to this girl’s cause, and now they probably feel like fools for doing so. I hope they get recompensated now that Carlee admitted that she lied.
I also feel bad for Carlee’s family. They’re probably facing just as much shame and ridicule as Carlee herself, especially after they went on national TV and corroborated her bullshit story. Her parents probably felt like they were between a rock and a hard place—not knowing whether to refute her story and have her accept the consequences or go along with her lies to protect her from possible prosecution—so I won’t judge them too harshly. And speaking of Carlee being shamed, given her age, she had to have known how things would turn out if and when she got busted. Most young millennials and Gen-Xers know how Black Twitter is, not to mention how advanced technology has become over the last few years. Once the cops looked through her Google searches, the jig was up. Now she’s the laughingstock of the nation, much like her mentor, Jussie. Why would you want that kind of attention? Stuff like that follows you around forever.
What irritates me the most about what Carlee did is that she was one of the few black women who received a decent amount of coverage while she was gone. Most black women and children that turn up missing don’t have that luxury. The amount of abducted and/or murdered black, Hispanic, and indigenous women in the United States is astounding, but sadly, they don’t receive the same amount of attention as Natalee Holloway or Gabby Petito. Now, before anyone believes that I’m making light of what happened to these two, or any other Caucasian women that are missing, please don’t misunderstand me. What happened with Natalee Holloway and Gabby Petito was tragic, and my heart goes out to them and their families. However, I wish that all women, no matter if they’re black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, or transgendered, received the same treatment. I just hope to God that the authorities and overall public doesn’t use Carlee’s foolishness as a reason to ignore the many minority women that truly are missing and need to come back to their families.
Shame on you, Carlee. Do better.
—Written by Nadiya
What are your thoughts on the whole Carlee Russell hoax? Are you outraged, or indifferent? Do you feel like she’s mentally ill or was she well aware of what she was doing? Do you feel bad for her family? What punishment do you think she should receive for lying, if any? Let me know in the comments section!
Insights from a Southern Girl 