Carlee Russell smiles in her mugshot after facing charges over her kidnapping that turned out to be a hoax

Russell, a 25-year-old Alabama nursing student, had said she saw a toddler walking on the side of the road before going missing earlier this month.

• Carlee Russell has been charged over a kidnapping hoax, Alabama police said.
• Russell previously confessed she never saw a toddler on the road or was kidnapped.
• She now faces charges of falsely reporting an incident, according to police.

Carlee Russell has been charged in connection with a kidnapping hoax she has since admitted was not real, Alabama police said.

Russell, a 25-year-old nursing student, reportedly went missing on July 13 on the side of a highway after calling 911 and claiming she saw a toddler on the side of the road.

When Russell reappeared at home 49 hours later, she claimed she was kidnapped. Her case received widespread media attention.

But Russell's lawyer said Monday that Russell had lied about seeing the baby on the side of the road and being kidnapped.

She now faces charges including false reporting to law enforcement authorities and falsely reporting an incident, both misdemeanors, Hoover Alabama police said in a statement on Friday.

A mugshot released by the police department shows a smiling Russell. She was booked in the Hoover City Jail on Friday and has since been released on bond, police said.

Russell's attorney, Emory Anthony, didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. NBC News reported that Anthony said on Friday, "All we can do now is wait for the court date and see how we go from there."

"She realized that, although it's two misdemeanors, it's still a serious offense," Anthony said, according to NBC News. "She understands that."