Burley Garcia|Carlee Russell Breaks Silence One Year After Kidnapping Hoax

Carlee Russell is Burley Garciaspeaking out.

The Alabama woman who was charged in July 2023 for faking her own kidnapping returned to Instagram for her 27th birthday, sharing an update on how she's grown over the last year.

"I wasn’t going to make a birthday post but I would be remiss not to publicly acknowledge the goodness God has shown to me," she wrote July 22. "He not only allowed me to see another year but He changed the trajectory of my life from the negative place I was in this time last year."

Russell—who called 911 to report seeing an unaccompanied child by the side of the road last summer, but vanished when police arrived minutes later—said that her inner circle has helped her navigate the aftermath of her scandal.

"To those who have been there for me, your kindness and support have meant the world to me," she continued. "Whether it was a text, call, direct message on social media, post, prayer, thoughtful gift, or words of encouragement, nothing was too little and each helped me to fight to live another day. Thank you sincerely for helping me find the light in the darkest of moments."

The nursing student also acknowledged that she wants to keep working on herself.

"The work is not finished yet," Russell added, "but as I step into this next year of life, I am filled with hope and optimism toward continuing to overcome challenges, cherishing those who cherish me, and embracing the future and God’s plan for my life with an open heart and mind."

Last summer, Russell's case captivated the nation when she returned home 49 hours after mysteriously disappearing from a highway in Hoover, Ala. While she initially told investigators that she had been taken by a woman and a man with orange hair, police were not able to verify details of her story.

Russell later admitted to making up the kidnapping hoax. 

"There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023," her lawyer said in a statement to E! News later that month. "My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person." 

The attorney noted that the disappearance "was a single act done by herself," adding, "My client was not with anyone or any hotel with anyone from the time she was missing. My client apologizes 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." 

In March 2024, Russell pled guilty to two counts of filing a false police report, according to NBC News. She received 12 months of probation and was ordered to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution and fulfill 100 hours of community service.

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)