Carlee Russell’s former boyfriend has said that he is “disgusted” with her after she finally confessed to faking her own abduction.
Thomar Simmons posted a statement on Instagram on Monday night where he slammed his 25-year-old former girlfriend and said that he – like the wider public – had been “blindsided” by her lies.
“Carlee’s actions created hurt, confusion and dishonesty,” he wrote.
“I was made aware of the false narrative after coming to the defense of my ex Carlee Russell. Myself and my family’ nature was to react in love and genuine concern. We are disgusted [by] the outcome of this entire situation.”
He added: “I strongly feel exactly like you all – blindsided with Carlee’s actions.”
Mr Simmons went on to thank “all my family, friends and the nation for support” through the saga.
“The severity in this matter has not been overlooked, and I deeply respect the genuine support shared during this situation,” he wrote. “Please continue to keep us in your prayers.”
He has also deleted all photos of and references to Ms Russell from his Instagram account.
Nursing student Ms Russell, 25, confessed on Monday that she had lied about being kidnapped in a statement from her attorney Emory Anthony.
“There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road,” said the statement. read out by Hoover Police Department Chief Nicholas Derzis at a press conference on Monday.
“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, as to her friends and family.”
Carlee Russell confessed to lying about abduction— (Hoover Police Department)
It continued: “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. My client did not have any help in this incident, but this was a single act done by herself.”
In the statement, Ms Russell asked the public for forgiveness and prayers as she continues to “address her issues.”
Chief Derzis said that investigators are meeting with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office as they mull possible criminal charges against Ms Russell over the elaborate “hoax”.
On the night of 13 July, Ms Russell vanished without a trace from the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover – just moments after she called 911 saying she had spotted a toddler alone on the road.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found her car still running and her cellphone and wig close by, but no sign of the 25-year-old.
A huge search operation was launched to try to track down the missing woman, with her family begging the public to come forward with any information.
Then, two days later on the night of 15 July, Hoover Police received a 911 call saying that Ms Russell had suddenly returned home on foot. She claimed that she had been abducted by “a man with orange hair” and was forced to undress and pose for photographs – but eventually managed to escape.
In the days since, suspicions began to mount about her version of events and where she had actually been during the roughly 49 hours that she was missing.
Last week, Hoover Police cast doubts on one of the key aspects of the case – saying that there was no evidence that she had been abducted or that there had been a toddler walking along the highway that night.
Thomar Latrell Simmons releases statement after Carlee Russell admitted she faked abduction— (Thomar Latrell Simmons/Instagram)
Instead, they found that Ms Russell had been researching Amber Alerts and the movie Taken in the days before she went missing. She had also stopped speaking to authorities about what had happened.
Mr Simmons and Ms Russell’s family stood by her even as speculation continued to mount, with her former boyfriend urging people to stop bullying her on social media and to think about her mental health.
“The only thing I can say is, I want everyone to stop bullying her. I know what it seems like what she did. Just stop bullying on social media,” he told the New York Post over the weekend.
“Think about her mental health. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t. Nobody deserves to be cyberbullied.”
At the time of her apparent disappearance, Mr Simmons raised the alarm and posted desperate appeals for information as to her whereabouts.
It is not clear when the couple parted ways as he previously referred to her as his girlfriend.
Ms Russell’s family also appeared to walk back their support of her following her bombshell confession to orchestrating the fake abduction.
On Monday, her mother Talitha Robinson-Russell refused to comment on the revelation, saying “ow is not a good time” when reached by The New York Times.
Ms Robinson-Russell had also pleaded for her safe return and, in the wake of her reemergence, had continued to defend her daughter amid the rumours that her abduction wasn’t all it seemed.
“There were moments when she physically had to fight for her life, and there were moments when she had to mentally fight for her life,” she told NBC’s Today show just last week.
Hoover police are planning to meet with Ms Russell’s attorney on Tuesday to discuss the case.
