Carlee Russell Update: Employer Turned Over All 'Uncovered' Info to Police

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Carlee Russell's employer said that all "uncovered" information about Russell's whereabouts leading up to her disappearance last week has been turned over to police, according to a statement from the business.

Russell, 25, was reported missing Thursday night shortly after she made a call to 911 to report a missing toddler on the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. She returned home safely on Saturday, but police have yet to determine what happened to Russell or where she was for those two days she was considered missing.

C. Stuart Rome, owner of Woodhouse Spa Birmingham where Russell works, said on Tuesday that the spa had been working with the Hoover Police Department since Friday morning to help with the investigation. Russell left work at around 8:20 p.m. Thursday and was traveling to a nearby mall to pick up a delivery order when she made a call to police dispatch about the missing toddler.

Missing Person Carlee Russell
The employer of Carlee Russell said it has provided police with all "uncovered" information about Russell's whereabouts leading up to her disappearance last week. Courtesy of Hoover AL Police Department

"Our greatest concern has always been the well-being of Carlee and her safe return," Rome said in a press release Tuesday night. "Woodhouse Spa employees have been deeply impacted by the events that transpired but are now ecstatic with the news of Carlee's return home."

"We've been working with the Hoover Police Department since Friday morning, the morning following Carlee's disappearance, in order to come up with any information that would help the investigation," Rome continued. "Everything we uncovered is in the position of the Hoover Police Department."

"We understand the investigation is in a very sensitive state and do not want to release any details that could jeopardize the investigation," he added. "Leaks, both true and untrue, can have a devastating impact on any investigation."

A spokesperson for the Hoover Police Department previously told Newsweek that detectives "are combing through numerous pieces of evidence collected from the time she went missing until her return home and beyond." Among that evidence includes traffic camera footage of the interstate where she disappeared, police said.

Russell's family members have claimed that she was kidnapped on Thursday and had been "fighting for her life" while missing, according to an Instagram post written by her boyfriend, Thomar Simmons.

"All I asked from everyone right now is to be respectful of Carlee's situation. She was literally fighting for her life for 48 hours, so until she's physically and mentally stable again she is not able to give any updates or whereabouts on her kidnapper at this very moment," Simmons wrote.

Russell's mother, Talitha Robinson-Russell, has also spoken out against verbal attacks that her daughter was receiving on social media since her safe return. In an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, Robinson-Russell said her daughter "wasn't in a good state," and that speculation growing online about her disappearance was "upsetting to Carlee."

Newsweek reached out to Hoover police via email Tuesday night for comment.

About the writer

Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national news and politics, where she has covered events such as the 2022 Midterm Election, live campaign rallies and candidate debates for Newsweek. She also covers court and crime stories. Kaitlin joined Newsweek in May 2022 as a Fellow before starting full time in September 2022. She graduated from the University of Dayton and previously worked as a breaking news intern at the Cincinnati Enquirer. You can get in touch with Kaitlin by emailing k.lewis@newsweek.com. Languages: English.


Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more