A link to a Crime Aid PayPal account collected $63k in the search for Carlee Russell – but now that she’s returned home in a bizarre twist of events, officials say the money will not be refunded to donors
Donors flocked to help for the search of 25-year-old Carlee Russell when it was reported that she was ‘abducted’ on an Alabama highway – but after she returned two days later with a story that investigators say ‘doesn’t add up,’ well-wishers began clamouring for their money back.
Through a Crime Stoppers link, hundreds of individuals were able to donate to the fund set up by Russell’s family to help with the search. They managed to raise $63,000. But now groups and individuals are asking for their donations back, as it turned out Russell safely returned home.
All but two of the donors have been turned down for a refund.
A $25,000 donation from the Birmingham Board of Realtors and the $20,000 offered by an anonymous donor were returned, but the rest of the money – over $13,000 belongs to individuals who gave pocket cash here and there, as people often do online.