Carlee Russell’s Boyfriend Asks Internet To ‘Stop Bullying Her’ Amid Suspicious Abduction Claim

Carlee Russell’s boyfriend might’ve wiped every trace of her from his Instagram page. But, he’s still defending her amid growing suspicions about her abduction claims.

Thomar Latrell Simmons broke his silence on Saturday, July 22, to seemingly acknowledge all the gaps in Russell’s abduction story while asking for more empathy from the public.

“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,” Simmons told The New York Post.

“Think about her mental health. She doesn’t deserve that. She doesn’t. Nobody deserves to be cyberbullied.”

Russell has been under fire since her return home 49 hours after leading Alabama police to believe she was abducted after stopping on the highway to follow a child she claimed to see walking on the side of the road. The 25-year-old nursing student told police she was held captive during her time missing, but police say her account of what happened is not lining up and she has refused additional interviews.

Along with the gaps in her story, police unearthed Russell’s Google searches leading up to the alleged abduction which included questioning if amber alerts were free, and the movie “Taken.” Social media hasn’t wrapped their minds around details of Russell’s story including why she left her wig inside her car but took the snacks from Target she purchased before the alleged kidnapping.

While Thomas initially asked for support in locating Russell during the alleged abduction, once she returned home and confused police with her suspicious claims, many noticed how her boyfriend removed all photos with her from his social media, the Daily Beast reports.

Considering the thousands of unsolved and overlooked missing person cases involving Black women, advocates believe Russell’s unverified claims threaten to overshadow the movement, as noted by CNN.

“For our community, we can’t lose sight of the bigger picture,” Derrica Wilson, co-founder of Black & Missing Foundation said.

“We are disappointed that there are inconsistencies with her (Russell) story especially when there are a staggering number of people of color who are still missing and they need our help.”