NASHVILLE, TN — Five weeks after Courtney Reese vanished, her family says they are still waiting for answers, but a new private investigation has given them a reason to hold onto hope. Reese, 36, was last seen after being dropped off at a Donelson laundromat on Aug. 18, and her family says recent leads suggest she could still be alive somewhere in the Nashville area.
Her sister, Chasity DeSimone, said the search has been exhausting and deeply personal. She described Reese as a mother who normally checked in every morning and every night, making the silence feel even more alarming. The family has also continued asking the public to help by reporting any sign that she may be in the area.
How Courtney Reese disappeared after a trip to do laundry
According to Metro Nashville Police, Reese told her family she planned to do laundry and meet a friend before she disappeared. Her uncle dropped her off at a laundromat in Donelson around 1 p.m. that day. Police said the last confirmed contact came later that evening.
At 5:52 p.m., Reese texted her mother and asked to be picked up from the same address. No one was available then, and her family says they have not heard from her since. DeSimone said that absence has been especially painful because the routine of daily calls was so normal for her sister.
Family says mental health may have played a role
DeSimone said Reese had recently left a group home in Lebanon and may have been dealing with mental health issues. She also raised the possibility that Reese was struggling with postpartum depression after the birth of her first child. Reese’s son is nearly four months old, and DeSimone said he is the family’s focus as the search continues.
She said Reese had previously experienced miscarriages before the birth of her baby, adding more emotional weight to the family’s concern. While those details do not explain what happened, they have shaped the family’s view of the disappearance and their hope that Reese may still be found safe.
Metro police say detectives are still checking leads
Metro Nashville Police said detectives continue to follow leads as they come in, but there has not been a confirmed update since Reese was last seen leaving the laundromat area. Investigators have not said they believe anything suspicious was involved in her disappearance at this point.
Community members have also joined the search, organizing their own efforts to look for Reese. So far, those searches have not turned up new information. The case remains open, and police are still asking anyone with credible information to come forward.
Why the family hired a private investigator
In the last few weeks, DeSimone hired Covert Results Private Investigators, a firm a family member recommended after hearing they had helped uncover a missing person in Nashville. DeSimone said the family wanted another layer of help after weeks without progress from the search efforts they had already tried.
She pointed to a recent case in which the same investigators found missing Colorado man Conor Anderson just hours after they were hired. That added to the family’s confidence that the firm could help them narrow down Reese’s location or at least strengthen the leads they are already following.
Leads suggest Reese could still be in the Nashville area
DeSimone said the private investigators believe Reese could be alive and possibly still in the Nashville area, though she stressed that nothing has been confirmed. The family has also heard from people in several states and regions who thought they may have seen Reese elsewhere, but none of those tips has led to a verified sighting.
That uncertainty has left the family balancing hope with caution. DeSimone said she does not want to get too far ahead of the facts, but she also does not want to give up on finding her sister. The belief that Reese may still be nearby has kept the search active.
Family asks anyone with information to call police immediately
If anyone sees Reese in the Nashville area, the family wants Metro Nashville Police contacted right away at 615-862-8600. DeSimone said she is asking for anything that could confirm Reese is safe, including proof that she is alive.
“Please call me,” DeSimone said. “I don’t care what’s going on, what the situation may be. Please just let us know she’s alive.” She said the family only wants to bring Reese home and help her get well, and that hope has become the thing carrying them through each day without answers.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
