The ex-boyfriend of Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman accused of faking her own kidnapping, said he still doesn’t understand her actions and there were no signs anything was wrong in the weeks before she disappeared.
Russell has been charged with two counts of filing a false report. She now faces a two-year prison sentence and a $12,000 fine.
Thomar Latrell Simmons — who initially claimed that Russell was kidnapped after being lured by a toddler wandering on the highway — appeared on the “205 Boyz” podcast to talk about the whole controversy.
Simmons seemed baffled by the whole situation and when asked what was going on before Russell left, he said they had just returned from New York City on vacation and had only had a minor argument.
“We didn’t have a little fight, but it wasn’t nothing to kidnap yourself for,” Simmons told host Marcus Moody.
Thomar Latrell Simmons (pictured left), the ex-boyfriend of Carlee Russell (pictured right), the Alabama woman accused of faking her own kidnapping, said he still doesn’t understand her actions and there were no signs that something was wrong
The podcast, which appears to be a joint venture between Moody and Simmons and had never posted a video three days ago, is a 25-minute conversation about Russell’s disappearance and its fallout.
Simmons denies during the episode that the podcast is an attempt to influence and gain attention in the wake of the media storm facing his ex-girlfriend.
He adds that he hasn’t contacted Russell since the whole ordeal and says she hasn’t tried to talk to him either.
“We haven’t been in contact with each other,” he said, and he doesn’t seem eager to open the lines of communication anytime soon.
“If you really wanted to tell me the truth, you could have told me. You could have told me before all this happened. You had time to tell me.’
Simmons and Russell had just vacationed in the Big Apple with Russell’s family and had a great time, he claims.
“We had fun,” he said. “We went on tours to the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge.”
He’s still looking for answers about the whole hoax.
Simmons — who initially claimed that Russell was kidnapped after being lured by a toddler wandering on the highway — appeared on the “205 Boyz” podcast to talk about the whole controversy.
Simmons told co-host Marcus Moody that he was baffled by the whole situation and when asked what was going on before Russell left, he said they had just returned from New York City on vacation and had only had a minor argument .
Video taken the night Carlee Russell faked her disappearance in Alabama appears to show the moment she stopped on the highway to help a child
“I’m confused, like what happened? What prompted you to do this? I don’t understand,” Simmons said.
He says he still needs to look after his own mental well-being at this point.
“I kept going every day, every day it just got better and better. Especially with my friends and family, I am grateful for it,” he said.
Simmons did say that last month he was “still healing, still dealing with it,” but that he’s still going to work.
It was rumored that she was trying to win back attention from her Simmons, whom she had recently divorced, when she staged the hoax, to which he did not elaborate, saying that the accusations she had run off because of him were bogus.
Simmons frantically called for information when she went missing and quickly distanced herself from her when her story began to crumble.
He adds that he’s not “looking for love” right now.
“I’m trying to get back to my normal life, but it will never be normal for me. I can’t travel through Birmingham without someone knowing me.’
Simmons (left), Carlee’s ex-boyfriend, initially revealed she was “fighting for her life for 48 hours” after disappearing from the 459 freeway in Alabama
Thomar and Carlee are pictured traveling to New York City on July 4, just a week before she disappeared off the highway in Alabama. He posted on social media thanking people for their efforts to find her
Simmons shared loving photos of the couple together after she was initially found and said he was falsely accused of being involved in her disappearance – but he “kept his faith” and continued the desperate search for his girlfriend.
The ex-boyfriend described his “non-stop” pursuit of her — and said he wasn’t giving up “until I saw her face again.”
“I don’t even know how to start this post but I just want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for saving my girlfriend’s life!
“Thanks also to everyone who shared a photo, came to the Hoover Met to help us with the searches, and went and told other people about Carlee to help spread the word about her story.
“I’ve been going non-stop since I got the call Thursday night that she was missing. I know she would have done the same for me so I wasn’t about to give up until I saw her face again!
“I had downright tunnel vision, even if I got on social media during my free time and saw some of the false allegations and assumptions that I had something to do with her kidnapping, I would get discouraged at times, but I didn’t give a damn on & kept my faith!
“I want to thank all my family, friends, former teammates and church members who have called or texted me to let me know they are praying and here for me; You don’t know how much that meant to me!
“All I’ve asked of everyone at this point is to be respectful of Carlee’s situation.
“She literally fought for her life for 48 hours, so until she is physically and mentally stable again, she cannot provide any updates or whereabouts on her abductor at this time.
“I would also like to thank those on social media who are understanding and respectful of what she has been through over the past few days.
“Once again I can’t thank you enough for helping me get Carlee home! God bless you all.’
Thomar Simmons posted photos and videos of the couple together after she was found
Russell, 25, was driving home from work in Hoover, Alabama, on July 13 when she called 911 claiming she saw a toddler in a diaper on the side of the road.
She then called her brother’s girlfriend, claiming to have seen the same thing, and yelled into the phone.
Russell was not seen again for two days and then showed up at her parents’ house with a cut lip and a tall tale about him being snatched by an orange-haired man who held her captive for two days before she somehow knew to escape.
Russell was reported missing on July 13 after she made a bizarre call to 911 claiming she had found a toddler on the side of a highway.
Hoover police subsequently revealed the spa therapist’s incriminating Google search history, which included the terms “should you pay for an Amber Alert” and research into the movie Taken.
A sheepish Russell fell silent, then admitted through her lawyer that he had fabricated the whole story.
On July 28, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis announced criminal charges against her.
Now there are also questions about whether she will have to pay back the $100,000 she spent on the search for her.
Russell’s parents have not yet commented on her arrest and she has yet to explain why she lied.
In a statement, her attorney said: “My client has authorized me to make the following statement on her behalf:
“On July 13, 2023, there was no kidnapping. My client has not seen a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as missing. My client did not receive any help with this incident, but this was a one-time act that she performed herself.
‘My client was not with anyone or in a hotel when she went missing.
“My client apologizes for her actions to the community, to the volunteers who searched for her, to the Hoover Police Department and other agencies, as well as to her friends and family.
“We ask for your prayers for Carlee as she discusses her issues and plans to gain understanding for the fact that she made a mistake.
“Carlee again asks for your forgiveness and prayers.”