Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said officers found Brittany Russell in Elm Grove on Wednesday - days after she was reported missing - and what she revealed to a detective has launched a criminal investigation.
Police located Russell, 19, of Wheeling on Jones Street around 12:55 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after a caller to Ohio County 911 dispatch said she was spotted near the Patterson Ballfields in Elm Grove. She had been missing since Saturday.
According to a release from Detective Greg McKenzie, Russell "appeared to be in good health" and agreed to come to police headquarters to be interviewed. Schwertfeger declined to reveal what Russell told investigators during the interview that launched the criminal investigation.
Schwertfeger said Russell's "physical health appeared to be OK," but police took her to a local hospital. He declined to provide a specific reason for her hospital visit, but he confirmed she remained there Wednesday evening. He added that the circumstances surrounding the investigation are "sensitive."
A missing person poster that had been circulated in the area states Russell suffers from mental disabilities. The poster also notes she was last seen with an "old man" in a truck.
Schwertfeger declined to elaborate on any possible suspects in the criminal investigation.
"I don't know who she was with or who she's been with, but we are conducting a criminal investigation," he said.
