Authorities find cell phone of Chicago woman currently missing in The Bahamas

Authorities in The Bahamas on Wednesday said they have found a cell phone belonging to a Chicago woman who is currently missing in the Caribbean nation. According to CNN, Bahamian authorities said 41-year-old Taylor Casey’s cell phone was found in the waters.

As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Casey had traveled to the Caribbean nation for a yoga retreat, and her family in a statement said that they are “deeply concerned” for her “safety and well-being.” Her family is also seeking public assistance in their efforts to find her.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said that Casey was last seen around Paradise Island on June 19. Taylor is said to have traveled to the country for a yoga retreat being organized by Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat. The organizers in a statement said they had contacted police in the Caribbean nation and requested that they investigate her disappearance.

The retreat in the statement said that it became aware of Casey’s disappearance on Thursday when she was absent from morning classes. The organization also said the last time Taylor was seen was on June 19 evening, adding that it had since “advised the US Embassy as well as Taylor Casey’s family.” 

But the distance between where Casey’s cell phone was found and the yoga retreat couldn’t be established. 

“We have conducted extensive investigation into the matter,” Royal Bahamas Police Force Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Our priority is to find Taylor and to find Taylor in good health.”

Skippings said their effort to locate Casey has seen them using drones, search-and-rescue dogs, and divers, CNN reported. Skippings also said they’re coordinating with Casey’s family as well as reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing people who attended the retreat.

Casey’s family in a statement said the missing 41-year-old has been practicing yoga for 15 years and had gone to the retreat to “fulfill a long-term goal of deepening her practice.” “Eager to return to Chicago, she looked forward to sharing her newfound knowledge and experience with others,” her family said.

Her family also described her as a “light-skinned Black woman, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.” The statement said she has natural hair and usually covers it with a durag.

“We are deeply concerned for Taylor’s safety and well-being,” Casey’s mother, Colette Seymore, said in the statement. “We love Taylor and want her home.” Seymore also said she believes her daughter is in danger because “she was eager to share her yoga retreat experience with others upon her return.” She said her daughter “would never disappear like this.”

In January, the US State Department in a Level 2 travel advisory warned Americans traveling to The Bahamas to “exercise increased caution” as a result of crime, CNN reported. 

“The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands,” the warning states. “In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the ‘Over the Hill’ area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population.

“Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence.”