Police said Taylor Casey, 41, was last seen at a yoga retreat on June 19.
Police say they have expanded the search for a Chicago woman who went missing last week while on a yoga retreat in the Bahamas.
Taylor Casey, 41, was last seen on June 19 at the Sivananda Ashram yoga retreat on Paradise Island and was reported missing the next day after she failed to show up to her morning class, the retreat and police said.
The search for Casey, which involves drones, dogs and divers, has expanded beyond the immediate area of the hideout to other parts of the island, Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings of the Royal Bahamas Police Force told reporters Wednesday afternoon, and investigators are also reviewing surveillance cameras.
“I want to reassure you that Taylor’s well-being remains our number one priority,” Skippings said at the news conference.
Skippings said the investigation is still in its early stages to determine whether foul play is suspected.
Mr Skippings confirmed Casey’s phone was found “in the water”, but would not say where it was found as the investigation was ongoing.
Organizers of the yoga retreat said Casey was on a yoga certification retreat when she went missing. Skippings would not say when Casey arrived in the Bahamas for the retreat, but said it was scheduled to last four to five weeks.
Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat told ABC News it is cooperating with authorities on the investigation.
“The ashram urges anyone with information about Ms. Cayce to contact local police,” the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas said in a statement on Tuesday.
Skippings said Casey’s family traveled to the Bahamas amid the investigation and met with police on Wednesday.
Her mother, Colette Seymour, said it was unusual for Casey to disappear like this and she feared for her safety.
“Taylor calls me all the time and keeps in touch. She sent me beautiful pictures of Taylor in the ocean from the Bahamas,” Seymour told ABC News. “We want Taylor to come home. We need Taylor in our lives. We miss her.”
A State Department spokesperson told ABC News they were aware of reports of a US citizen going missing in the Bahamas.
“When a U.S. citizen goes missing, we work closely with local authorities to conduct search efforts and share as much information as possible with families,” the spokesperson said. “For the State Department, there is no higher priority than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens overseas, and we stand ready to provide assistance to Americans and their families in need.”
A spokesman said the State Department would not comment further due to privacy concerns.
