On June 21, the Royal Bahamas Police Force released a missing person’s report for a 41-year-old black woman named Taylor Casey, who had been visiting the Paradise Island area for a month-long yoga retreat.
The missing person’s report included a photo of Taylor as having black hair, “light brown” skin, and wearing glasses. Other details about her include that she is slim, weighs about 145 pounds, and is about 5’10” tall. The report noted that she was last seen on June 19. A press release posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the search for Taylor added that her hair was natural and “often covered.”
People.com reported that the 41-year-old woman was first reported missing by organizers of the Sivananda Ashram yoga retreat in the Bahamas. Organizers reportedly notified the woman’s family and the U.S. Embassy after she didn’t show up to a morning class on June 20. The missing person, a Chicago resident, was reportedly pursuing a yoga certification at the retreat.
How is Taylor Casey’s family taking this news?
Taylor’s mother, Collette Seymour, has expressed numerous concerns about her daughter’s whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. In a statement, Collette expressed her belief that her daughter is “in danger.”
The concerned mother noted that Taylor, who had been practicing yoga for 15 years, was “eager to share her yoga experience with others upon returning home.” The press release detailed that yoga enthusiast Taylor had visited the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat “to achieve her long-term goal of deepening her yoga practice.”
“There’s no way Taylor could just disappear like this,” Collett said.
Speaking to ABC News, her mother added, “Taylor calls me all the time and keeps in touch. She sent me beautiful pictures of Taylor in the ocean from the Bahamas. We want Taylor to come home. We need Taylor in our lives. We miss her.”
Notably, the US State Department issued a Level 2 travel advisory for US citizens visiting the Bahamas in January, urging travelers to exercise “extra caution.”
What else do we know about Taylor Casey’s disappearance?
As of this writing, Chuffed’s fundraiser has raised over $11,000 of its $25,000 goal to mobilize Taylor’s family and friends. The fundraiser says donations will “assemble a legal team to weather this international search” and cover travel expenses for those in the US to “assemble and advocate for Taylor.”
Additionally, the money raised will fund a trip for up to five family members and friends to the Bahamas. Collette was reportedly there and met with Royal Bahamas Police. The search for her daughter continues. CNN reported in June that police found the yoga enthusiast’s phone somewhere in the water, but it’s unclear how far it was from her retreat.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Royal Bahamas Police Force at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).
