1 year since Chicago woman, Taylor Casey, went missing in the Bahamas and still no answers
It's been one year since Taylor Casey, a Chicago woman, disappeared from a yoga retreat in the Bahamas. There are still no answers in the case.
Casey, then 42, was in the middle of a month-long yoga retreat near Paradise Island when she stopped showing up for classes. She was last seen on June 19, 2024.
In July, Casey's family asked the FBI to take over the search from the authorities in the Bahamas, saying they were "not satisfied with how this investigation has been handled thus far."
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth's office and the U.S. Embassy also joined the efforts in assistance. Last week, Duckworth's office released the following statement:
"Senator Duckworth and her office have been monitoring this heartbreaking situation for the last year. They continue to work closely with relevant federal agencies and push the Royal Bahamas Police Force to be as communicative and transparent as possible. Senator Duckworth and her office will continue to coordinate with Ms. Casey's family to help in any way they can."
Last Friday, Peter Goudie, a spokesperson for the yoga retreat from which Casey disappeared, said there is "nothing more we can do." Goudie added, "police did everything they could." He also said the FBI and the International Criminal Police Organization responded as well.
Casey's family believed search efforts have been marred by prejudice because Casey is a transgender woman. She has been a fixture in Chicago's transgender community and a youth advocate for decades.
Casey's family is offering a $10,000 reward for any information on her disappearance.
A Facebook group called "Find Taylor Casey" has remained active this year. Group organizers posted events in April and May, "A Day with Taylor." The Zoom events featured performances, yoga sessions, and storytelling.
Phone recovered from the water
In July, authorities in the Bahamas said they recovered Taylor's iPhone. Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said that, during a June 22 search, a dog picked up a scent from a tent and tracked it to the water, but the scent ended there. They subsequently located a phone under roughly 56 feet of water.
Investigators in the Bahamas asked American authorities for help unlocking the phone. Authorities also reviewed surveillance footage from around the island, but there was "no information to connect at this time," the police commissioner added.
"Find Taylor Casey" Facebook group organizers posted on April 9, "The police in the Bahamas have not yet released Taylor's phone or phone records." It is unclear which authorities are in possession of the phone at this time.
Missing woman's mother seeking answers
In an interview just three months after her daughter's disappearance, Casey's mother, Colette Seymore, said that something seemed "off" with her daughter before she vanished.
"I talked to Taylor on June 18th. Taylor had called me and mentioned to me it was hard, it was hard at the yoga retreat," she said. "Something was off, I don't know if Taylor didn't want to alarm me, but I just felt like something was off."
Seymore reported her daughter missing, but said when she first arrived in the Bahamas to speak to investigators, she said she did not see a single missing persons flyer for her daughter.
"They were just really nonchalant and just not acting like it was their child missing," she said. "I had to return home without her. This is every mother's worst nightmare."
Seymore said her visit only left her with more questions than answers.
CBS News Chicago has reached out to Casey's family for an update on the investigation.
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