The Mississippi State University student who reported being abducted from the university campus early Wednesday morning will be charged today by the MSU Police Department for filing a false report.
Detective Brad Massey of the MSU Police Department said they will try to get her to turn herself in. Filing a false police report is a misdemeanor charge.
The abduction was declared to be a hoax after she recanted her story during interviews, Massey said.
Georgia Lindley, MSU Chief of Police, said the MSU Police Department has not yet spoken with the student but at this point believes she orchestrated the hoax alone.
Lindley said as of Wednesday the student was with her family in Alabama, where she was found. As of Thursday afternoon, Lindley said she did not know the student’s current location.
Massey said the motivation has not yet been revealed.
He said when charges are filed in these cases, they are determined on a case-by-case basis.
“False reporting of a crime is very serious — it takes away hours and resources of the police to investigate real crimes,” he said.
Massey said reporting false crimes does not happen frequently.
Thomas Bourgeois, dean of students, said between the FBI, Mississippi and Alabama Highway Patrols, the MSU Police Department and the Hoover, Ala., Police Department, an estimated 70 officers worked the case.
He said, in general, when false reports are filed, the justice system becomes involved and the person responsible for it must pay the costs associated with it. At MSU, the code of conduct has a provision that students could face sanctions that range from probation to expulsion for violating the code of conduct. 
Bourgeois said false crime reports erode the credibility of real stories.
“So much bad can come from this … People don’t think about the ramifications,” he said.
Originally, the incident was reported to the police at 1:48 a.m. Wednesday.
 
The student claimed she had been taken from campus at gun point and was told to drive, Massey said. The student said she was abducted around midnight en route from Mitchell Memorial Library to South Hall. Her roommate, who was not involved in the hoax according to Massey, reported the incident to police.
Lindley said the student claimed another car followed behind her car throughout the abduction.
She was found in Hoover near the InTown Suites between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Her car was found in the motel’s parking lot, Captain Jim Coker of the Hoover Police Department said.
The report of the abduction led Bill Kibler, vice president of Student Affairs, to authorize a Maroon Alert at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday that was sent via text message.
“It was the middle of the night, and there was no reason to believe there was a danger to campus,” he said.
An email and MSU website update were later released to clarify the situation, he said.
Deborah Madden, public affairs specialist for the Jackson media division of the FBI, said the Jackson and Birmingham FBI offices assisted MSU in the investigation. 
Maridith Geuder, university relations director, said she wants to remind students to exercise caution, no matter what conditions they are in, even on campus. She said at night, in particular, students should have a buddy with them.
“If you’re in a position of concern, call the police or use an emergency box,” she said. “At night if you need an escort, call Bully Patrol.”
Students should lock their cars, even if they are driving on campus, Geuder said.
She said MSU takes safety seriously and students need to do everything they can to ensure their own safety.
Massey said students need to be aware of their surroundings in order to stay safe.
Lindley said students should also stay in well-lit areas during the night and let someone know where they are going.