Alabama woman Carlee Russell charged with filing false police report, following kidnapping hoax

Police in Alabama announced Friday the woman who earlier this month told authorities she was kidnapped while trying to help a toddler on the side of the road has been charged with a misdemeanor in connection with the incident.

The women, Carlee Russel, is charged with filing a false police report and statement to authorities, according to the state's Hoover County Police Department.

Russell turned herself in to authorities and was released on a $2,000 bond – $1,000 per charge, according to the local outlet CBS 42. 

Russell told police she was kidnapped, then went missing for two days. Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis told reporters Monday the incident was a "hoax."

Derzis read a statement provided to police by Russell's attorney in which he acknowledged "there was no kidnapping," according to ABC News. 

"My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on Thursday, July 13, 2023," the attorney's statement reads. 

Russell was missing for 49 hours and as of now, the police department said they have no knowledge of her whereabouts during that time frame. 

It is also unclear whether or not she acted alone in the hoax.