Alabama lawyer calls for Carlee Russell’s arrest for allegedly lying to police

An Alabama attorney, Eric Guster, believes Carlee Russell should be in jail after new information emerged on Wednesday, contradicting her supposed kidnapping story. Guster, initially captivated by the national news of Russell’s disappearance near his home, changed his opinion when police released additional details over the past three days.

According to Guster, Russell claimed to be kidnapped, but there is no evidence to support that claim. He expressed concern that such false claims could harm public trust and make it harder for others, especially African American women, who genuinely go missing, as people may fear not being believed. Guster currently serves as the managing partner for the Guster Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama.

“It’s going to be much more difficult for African American women to be believed and it may actually decrease the number of actual reports of things because people are already afraid that they won’t be believed,” said Guster.

Eric Guster claims that police have outlined three crimes that Carlee Russell committed and believes she should be arrested on all three charges: theft, lying to authorities, and filing a false police report.

He also mentioned the case of Aniah Blanchard, an Alabama teen who was kidnapped and murdered in 2019. Aniah’s family actively participated in search efforts when Carlee Russell was reported missing. Guster expressed his anger and frustration, imagining how the search party worked tirelessly to find Russell while she might have been engaged in other activities and was not in danger.

Police cast doubt on story behind Carlee Russell’s disappearance

Guster’s sentiments reflect the concern that false claims and actions like Russell’s can undermine genuine efforts to find missing individuals and negatively impact public trust in similar cases.

The family of Aniah Blanchard, who runs the non-profit “Aniah’s Heart,” has been vocal since Carlee Russell’s disappearance. Elijah Blanchard, Aniah’s father, expressed his distress over the comparisons made between the two cases. He posted on Facebook, urging people not to bring up Aniah’s tragic ordeal in connection with Russell’s situation. He emphasized the pain and hurt such comparisons caused his family, as his daughter had genuinely been kidnapped and fought for her life.

“Please understand this is not okay to put my family through this by bringing Aniah Blanchard up during this. My daughter was kidnapped and she was really fighting for her life. People don’t want this type of hurt,” Elijah Blanchard, Aniah’s father said in a Facebook post.

Regarding legal assistance, the lawyer Eric Guster advised Carlee Russell and her potential legal team to advise her to remain quiet and refrain from talking to anyone. This advice is likely to avoid any potential legal complications or further issues arising from the ongoing investigation and public scrutiny surrounding the case.

Carlee Russell has not yet had a full interview with the police since she reappeared, as they are waiting for her to become available.