The Texas sports reporter who was found under an overpass a week ago after being reported missing broke her silence on Monday, saying in a statement that she had experienced a bad reaction to her prescription medication.
Courtney Roland, 29, vanished on January 6 after telling her roommate she was being followed by a ‘suspicious man’. Thirty six hours later, police acting on a tip found the missing woman safe under an overpass in Houston.
On Monday, Roland, who covers Texas A&M football for Rivals.com, sent out a tweet saying she was released from Houston Methodist Medical Center on Friday.
Report speaks out: Courtney Roland, 29, a Texas sports reporter, was found under an overpass a week ago. On Monday, she tweeted out a statement saying she had experienced a bad reaction to her prescription medication
‘After undergoing five days of extensive testing, doctors determined I suffered an adverse reaction to my prescription medication,’ she wrote. ‘I am doing much better and look forward to returning back to work covering Texas A&M football for Rivals.com when the time is right.’
In her statement, the sports reporter thanked doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital for ‘expert medical care,’ and the Houston police ‘for their efforts’.
She added: ‘I would like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your thoughts, prayers and support.’
Roland provided no additional information on her underlying medical condition, or the specific medication that was allegedly to blame for last week’s ordeal.
Houston police found Roland (pictured) last Monday, 36 hours after her sudden disappearance
Roland was last seen leaving a Texas football camp in the Heights area at around 4pm on January 6, her roommate Autumn Vara wrote on Facebook
The following Monday, she was spotted at a Texas Chick-Fil-A by someone who recognized her and called the police, ABC’s Courtney Fischer tweeted.
A short time later, at around 8.15am on January 8, police received another call from a passerby who saw that Roland was under an overpass, across the street from the Chick-Fil-A at the 610 West Loop at Richmond.
Houston police say she was unharmed but she was taken to hospital in an ambulance for observation.
Her friend Brian Perroni, who has been working with the family to share updates of her disappearance, revealed she had been found
Houston police say she was unharmed but is being taken to hospital for observation
‘Thank Jesus!’ her friend Brian Perroni, who had been working with the family to share updates of her disappearance, tweeted.
‘Courtney Roland has been found by the Houston Police. Thank you to everybody for your prayers and please respect the family at this time #HelpFindCourtney.’
It is not yet clear why Roland disappeared or where she has been during that time.
Her roommate initially noticed something was wrong when Roland failed to attend a scheduled hangout session they had on January 6.
Her last text message, sent in the early hours of Sunday, suggested she was scared, and mentioned she was being followed by a blue truck after leaving a Walgreens, Vara revealed.
KHOU reports that the blue truck allegedly drove off upon her exit from her vehicle.
Perroni revealed that Roland had been spotted in the Houston Galleria at around 5.45pm on January 7, wearing a camo fleece and an orange Remington hat.
She was spotted at a Chick-Fil-A on January 8 by someone who recognized her and called the police
A passerby alerted police at around 8.15am on January 8 who spotted Roland was under an overpass at the 610 West Loop at Richmond
Courtney Roland was last seen leaving a Texas elite football camp in the Heights area
Roland texted her roommate at around 12.30am on January 7 about a ‘suspicious man’ she saw in Walgreens
Her car, purse, wallet, phone were all later discovered abandoned in the area.
A missing persons report was filed that same day, her friends revealed on social media.
Perroni said it was ‘very out of character’ for the reporter to simply disappear, adding his concerns that she’s left behind her phone, wallet and cash.
Her parents Steve and Cindy, as well as her extended family, also appealed for her to come home, saying, on Khou, ‘We love you. Your friends love you. Come home.’