Carlee Russell claimed she was abducted for 2 days. Now she's admitted to making it up.

Just after 9.30pm on July 13, Carlee Russell dialled 911.

The 25-year-old nursing student from Alabama told the operator on the other end of the line that she had seen a toddler in a nappie walking along the highway. 

After hanging up the phone, she called her brother's girlfriend, telling her the same story, before pulling over. Russell reportedly screamed and dropped the phone. 

When police searched Russell's car just minutes after her 911 call, they found her phone, wig, wallet and the food she had picked up for dinner.

Neither Russell nor the toddler were anywhere to be seen.

Russell’s disappearance set off a frantic two-day search that captured the world's attention. 

Two days later, at approximately 10.45pm, Russell returned home on foot. Paramedics were sent to her home, and she spoke to investigators the following day.

Her lip was cut. Her shirt was ripped. She had $107 in cash on her.

Her boyfriend, Thomas Latrell Simmons, said on Facebook that she had been "fighting for her life".

Russell explained to police that a man had come out of the woods and told her he was checking on the child. She claimed he forced her over a fence and into a car.

The nursing student said that the next thing she remembers is being in the back of a truck with a man and a woman. There was a baby crying.

She further alleged the couple took her home and forced her to undress and be photographed, before she escaped and ran home. 

Since her return, police "have been unable to verify" the details of her allegations. They didn't find any evidence of a toddler on the highway either.

Image: Hoover Police Department.

What they did find was her internet search history - which included Google searches of the kidnapping movie Taken on the day she was reportedly abducted, the "maximum age" for an Amber Alert and whether you have to pay for one. 

Russell reportedly also searched how to take money from a cash register without being caught and a one-way bus ticket from Birmingham to Nashville.

"I do think it’s highly unusual that the day someone gets kidnapped, seven or eight hours before that they were searching the movie Taken about an abduction," Hoover police chief Nick Derzis said. 

"I find that very strange."

There were other details that cast doubt on Russell's story.

On the night of the reported abduction, the 25-year-old was seen leaving the spa she worked at, allegedly holding a bathrobe and toilet paper. She also purchased snacks from Target. 

Neither were found in her car.

Less than two weeks later, an attorney speaking for Russell confirmed there was no kidnapping or toddler.

"There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13. My client did not see a baby on the side on the road," the statement said.

"My client did not have any help in this incident. This was a single act done by herself. My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing. 

"My client apologises for her actions to this community, the volunteers who were searching for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies as well and to her friends and family.

"We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding she made a mistake in this matter."

The attorney confirmed they are in touch with authorities about possible charges against Russell in the case.

Feature image: Hoover Police Department.