The beauty spa where Carlee Russell worked is cooperating with a sensitive police inquiry into her baffling vanishing

The owner of the Woodhouse Spa in Birmingham, Alabama, where Carlee Russell was employed on the night she mysteriously disappeared, has broken his silence regarding the ongoing investigation into her case. Stuart Rome, the owner of the spa, confirmed that the business is fully cooperating with police authorities as they continue to look into the circumstances surrounding Russell’s perplexing disappearance on July 13.

Russell, a 25-year-old nursing student, was working at the luxury spa located in the Summit shopping mall when she left around 8:20 PM. She called 911 at 9:34 PM, reporting that she had seen a toddler walking alone on the side of Interstate 459. However, when officers arrived just five minutes later, Russell was gone, and her car was left running with her personal items still inside.

After two and a half days, Russell reappeared at her parents’ home in Hoover, Alabama, claiming to have been kidnapped and barely surviving the ordeal. However, questions about the details of her disappearance have continued to arise.

In a statement released to local news, Rome explained that the spa had shared everything it had uncovered with Hoover Police. “We understand the investigation is in a very sensitive state and do not want to release any details that could jeopardize the investigation,” Rome said, expressing concern over the spread of both accurate and inaccurate information on social media. He also emphasized that the wellbeing of Russell has been the spa’s primary concern.

Rome noted that the employees at Woodhouse Spa had been deeply affected by the events but were relieved by the news of Russell’s safe return. “Our employees worked extremely hard through very tough times keeping guests happy while dealing with the fact that their co-worker was missing,” he said. “We have great confidence in the investigators and expect a resolution soon.”

On Wednesday, Hoover Police issued a statement revealing that they had found no evidence to support Russell’s claim that she was attempting to help a missing child when she vanished. Police also provided new details, including the discovery that Russell had made stops at a Target store and Taziki’s Cafe before continuing her drive on Interstate 459, where she reportedly saw the toddler.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they found Russell’s car still running, but no sign of the toddler or Russell. Despite a large-scale search involving local, state, and federal law enforcement, no confirmed sightings of Russell were found during her 49-hour disappearance. Surveillance footage has been obtained from the moment she returned home, and Hoover Police are expected to provide further updates on the case.