Carlee Russell has lost her job at the Alabama spa where she worked before her purported disappearance earlier this month, the New York Post reports.
The 25-year-old nursing student has come under intense scrutiny after investigators said they uncovered suspicious activity and internet searches casting doubt on her claims of being kidnapped.
Russell’s former boss, Stuart Rome, owner of the Woodhouse Spa in Birmingham, said employees initially banded together when Russell vanished.
“It was really devastating for them thinking a co-worker was abducted,” Rome told the Post. “The following day, Saturday, it was the busiest day of the week, and they had to plug along and work and in the off times pass out flyers and other things.”
Now, however, as more information comes to light raising questions about the veracity of Russell’s account, the spa’s workers are less sympathetic.
“As the information came out that there were some questionable things, we’ve been a little pissed off, mainly because so many people took so much time out to search,” Rome told the Post.
Russell had called 911 on the evening of July 13 and said that she saw a toddler wandering alone on Interstate 459. Minutes, later, she was on the phone with her sister-in-law, who said she heard a scream before the line went silent.
Police arrived at the scene and found Russell’s vehicle, phone and wig, but neither she nor the child were there.
The woman’s disappearance prompted searches across the community that included volunteers and local, state and federal law enforcement.
Two days later, Russell showed up at her parents’ home, where she lived, alleging that she had been kidnapped and held captive.
Russell claimed that a man forced her into a vehicle and then into the trailer of an 18-wheel semi-truck and that she was later brought to a house and forced to pose naked for photographs, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
But authorities subsequently learned that just prior to disappearing, Russell had searched the internet for information about bus ticket prices, Amber alerts, and films about kidnapping.
Investigators also learned that Russell had taken a robe and toilet paper from the spa before leaving work prior to calling 911 on July 13 and that snacks she had purchased just before the alleged kidnapping were missing from the vehicle when police found it.
Prior to calling 911, Russell had posted the following tweets: “Today was a GREAT day God be looking out I’m telling you!!,” “someone to tell you ‘I love you’ and don’t got a reason” and “Yeah I want a family now.”
Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said investigators have been “unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statement made to investigators,” as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Advocates for missing persons of color say they hope Russell’s case does not hamper ongoing efforts to find missing women, according to NBC News.
Rome echoed that concern, telling the Post that if Russell’s account turns out to be false, it will harm public trust in real kidnapping situations.
“I think it erodes faith for the next time, it erodes faith when people see somebody who’s been abducted and they’ve been put through this,” Rome told the Post. “They’re just not going to respond like they did, which is the worst part.”
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Feature Photo: Hoover PD]
