Taylor Casey
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Chief Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
MORE than a week after American Taylor Casey went missing, her relatives said they need more answers surrounding her disappearance and don’t feel “as confident” in police’s investigations.
Ms Casey was reported missing on June 20 when she failed to attend morning classes at a yoga retreat on Paradise Island.
Police said they have used drones, retrieved Ms Casey’s phone and interviewed people from the retreat to help find her, but their efforts have been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the family said they’re not satisfied that the police are doing enough and want more done.
“We’re looking for more answers. We want straight answers, but I haven’t heard anything I wanted to hear so far,” said Colette Seymore, Ms Casey’s mother, in a recent interview with international media.
“People can tell you anything long distance. I’m here right now. Yeah, I need to know that they are taking this seriously. I need to know they’re taking this seriously and helping to bring our loved one home. I need to know that and no, I’m not feeling that confident about that.”
National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said last week that criticism of police’s efforts to find the woman is “odd”, insisting officers are doing everything they can.
He said information has been gathered from Ms Casey’s cell phone and that the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is also assisting police with its investigation.
But the family wants local police to return her phone to them, believing it will give them much-needed answers into Ms Casey’s disappearance.
Mrs Seymore said when the family learned of her daughter’s disappearance, they tracked her phone in the water, leaving them frightened.
“They haven’t given me the phone, but I want that phone before I leave,” she said, adding the family also hasn’t spoken to anyone from the FBI.
The concerned mother said she believes information is being withheld surrounding her daughter’s disappearance.
When asked if they had seen surveillance footage, the family said no, noting this was one of the many concerns they expressed to police.
Ms Seymore described her daughter as the “pillar” of their family, adding she loved yoga and attended the retreat because she wanted to be an instructor.
She said her daughter was looking forward to this trip and had been talking about it for months.
“Taylor would call me and send me pictures,” Ms Seymore said of the retreat. “Taylor seemed like really happy at the place and send me pictures of Taylor in the water and explaining to me about the yoga and what Taylor was going to teach me when Taylor got here so it seemed to be going good.”
Ms Seymore recalled when representatives from the Yoga Retreat alerted her to her daughter’s disappearance, asking if she had been in contact with Ms Casey, to which she replied “yes”.
She said when they told her Ms Casey missed a whole day of classes, her “heart started pounding.”
“I couldn’t think then. I really couldn’t,” she said. “My heart started pounding and I’m thinking like what you are saying. You guys can’t find my child and they really didn’t want to say that of course.”
She said her child would not go anywhere without her knowing, adding: “Whenever Taylor left, I knew where Taylor was going.”
Ms Casey is described as a light-skinned black woman, approximately 5ft 10 tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Comments
birdiestrachan 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The FBI is assisting the police I hope they have answers for the family very soon
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"Is this person a 14-year-old girl or a 41-year-old grown man who most likely wants to get away from someone (his mother) calling him 'my child'? I am sure Mr. Taylor found something nice in the Bahamas and is probably chilling somewhere in Eleuthera, wanting to be left alone.
AnObserver 4 months, 2 weeks ago
You really are a POS, aren't you?
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"A real piece of work. You come down to the Bahamas with all your issues and then proceed to demand assistance and insult our police and the Bahamian public because of your unrealistic expectations. And yet, you still expect the Bahamas to help you. What's wrong with telling the truth? Explain what's truly happening with Mr. Taylor, a 41-year-old man still holding on to his mother's apron strings. Do you think Bahamians are fools? If a shark ate him, accept it and go home. There's no payday here."
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Our police waited 4 months to charge an MP with rape and looked really hard for every opportunity not to do so. According to court documents from the now concluded case, our police somehow knew nothing about women being raped at Nygards compound even though multiple persons made complaints to them. Our police allowed Nygard to take his assets out the country, in spite of a court order, because the gates were locked. Our police allowed illegal gaming to proliferate for decades. Our police allowed Elliot Lockhart to walk around like a free man now Interpol has to put out a global embarrassing notice to ask them to do their job.
It is all well and good to have national pride, we all should, but let's not drink the mind numbing and eye covering koolaid
This is a human being that is missing. Someone gave birth to them. Someone grew up with them for years and loved them. There was no sticker on their forehead at birth that said "undesirable". They were loved by someone and that someone wants to know what happened to them. Anything else is irrelevant
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Even those who don't drink the 'koolaid,' would not be equating incidents involving local political connections, such as the alleged rapes at Nygard's compound, where Bahamian politicians were implicated, and the alleged incident involving a sitting PLP minister and his purported former girlfriend or Mr Lockhart and many more that I can name. I don't drink koolaid, and yet I don't see the correlation between your assertions and the potential Taylor family dispute currently playing out in the Bahamas and the international press. One must be discerning and not naively adopt the narratives of those pushing anti-Bahamas agendas or the scammers that the Bahamas has to contend with every day. I say to the Taylor family, "Go home and fix your problems, and if a 41-year-old man wants his privacy, leave him the hell alone, and The Bahamas will not become a platform for the LGBT 'whatever.'
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 2 weeks ago
You raised the specter of our police being beyond criticism by the family. I simply pointed out to you how the police failed on several occasions that should have been beyond failing as the evidence and appropriate action stared them right in the face.
newcitizen 4 months, 2 weeks ago
You are such a biggot. Anyone who is as bothered by this lady's existence as you are, has some serious mental problems of their own.
Go live your life and stop trying to project your issues on others.
Observer 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The mother of the missing person, Taylor, should tell the Police why she wants that telephone. Seems that she is concealing pertinent information; or, is she afraid that the Police will discover a plot, such as insurance fraud?
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Or maybe she wants the thing most likely to have mementos of her child
Did you miss the part where the family alerted the police to where the phone was? Nothing irks me more than when people take credit for work they didnt do. All along the police have been intimidating that they scoured the beach for hours and through crack investigative techniques found the phone. Now the story comes out, the family used the google locator app and gave the police the exact coordinates.
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"Intimating"
carltonr61 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Discombobulated accordingly
rosiepi 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Oh for Pete’s sake! How many Nincompoops reside here anyways? I’ll start with Wayne M’s feigning ignorance-again..”it’s odd” that members of the public (including Americans) would find incompetence in even the ‘best efforts’ of the RBPF.
Elephants don’t forget and neither does he, since this is the very charge he put before the Crown against the very same! How many times have folks resorted to hiring detectives and officers from Canada, the US and/or the UK to gain some semblance of justice? And only for loved ones to be told that the main stumbling block of any ‘unsolvable’ case or disappearance were corrupt and inept officers.
Of course Ms Taylor’s Mum wants the cell phone! Of course her family want more information! Wouldn’t we all if this were our beloved?? Get a grip people!
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"The first problem is calling this 41-year-old man a woman, coming into our community with your accepted culture, and then making demands with high expectations while not sharing all the facts. The second problem is the rush to judge the Bahamas before any investigation is concluded. From a law enforcement perspective, this raises suspicion. The Bahamas has become the target of all kinds of scams from people with various motivations. Claiming that 'the Bahamas is a dangerous place for a 41-year-old homosexual man' seems to be just the latest scam we have to deal with."
Sickened 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Okay so we're looking for a man or a woman that looks like a AI generated person? Got it!
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
... Exactly. I have reached out to them to provide a photo of Mr. Taylor that accurately depicts his male likeness. However, the family has resisted, seemingly intent on promoting an anti-Bahamas LGBT agenda that conflicts with traditional Bahamian values.
John 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Did anyone else read where the missing person was traveling with a female companion? So why was it the retreat and not the companion who raised the alert but the retreat only after the missing person did not show up for class. The mom is hollering and screaming about how the investigation is being conducted but she left The Bahamas after only a few days here and is now demanding the persons phone back. Clearly the phone is a part of the investigation. She also had issues that no ‘missing person’ posters were posted around Paradise Island. This is usually not done in The Bahamas unless it’s done by family or a private organization. The mom also complained because both the yoga retreat and Bahamas police told her that they did not interview everyone at the resort ‘because people were on vacation and they ( police and yoga administration) wanted to be less intrusive as possible.’ The mystery continues Or broadens
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Your observation is astute; their scheme seems increasingly dubious, especially with the mother meddling in this man's private affairs. It appears Mr Taylor is keen to extricate himself from these individuals. At 41, having his mother refer to him as "my child" could be exasperating. Understandably, he might have discarded the phone after reaching his limit with a constantly overbearing mother calling incessantly.
John 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Just a little correction we’ll two: in Black vernacular, it is not unusual for a mother to refer to her grown children is her children. For example if there’s discourse in a family it is not unusual to her a mother tell a grown son or daughter ‘no matter what happens, you are still my child.’ And usually when there is a murder or even a police killing a grieving mother would come on the news and say ‘ look how they kill my child and leave him in the road like a dog,’. And if you attend funerals you would hear the mother crying out over a deceased adult as ‘my child’. Sometimes the dead person may even have grandchildren
John 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Second point the US news seem to be confusing whether it was the mother or the missing person or both who was traveling with a female companion to The Bahamas. Definitely the mother travelled with a friend because this person already spoke out saying how disappointed she was with the investigation. She said authorities at the Yoga resort and the police seemed ‘unconcerned’ about the missing person and were only doing the bare minimum as far as the investigation is concerned. But police said they have conducted searches, that employed drones and divers. That news station is the only one so far to say the missing person was traveling with a female companion. So it could be a mistake but begs further investigation or clarification
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Your points highlight important cultural nuances regarding how mothers refer to their adult children and the depth of their emotional attachment. In Black vernacular, it is common for a mother to refer to her grown children as "her children," reflecting a bond that does not diminish with age. Phrases like "no matter what happens, you are still my child" or "look how they kill my child" during times of grief show this deep connection. Even at funerals, a mother mourning an adult as "my child" underscores this enduring bond. However, the situation where a 41-year-old man feels compelled to call his mother every day suggests something beyond normal emotional attachment. While daily communication can indicate a close relationship, it might also signal over-dependence or control. This behaviour could stem from cultural expectations, family dynamics, or psychological factors. If the man feels obliged to call daily out of duty or pressure, it indicates an imbalance in the relationship, possibly due to an overly controlling mother or a lack of autonomy. I am sure this will end up as a family dispute where the mother is just overbearing and the 'guy' just wants to live his life. family dynamics need to be considered to understand and address the situation properly.
ExposedU2C 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Colette Seymore and Emily Williams (presumably both US citizens living in Chicago) really should stop harassing "our" Royal Bahamas Police Force which is assisting "their" FBI in the conduct of the ongoing investigations into the disappearance of Taylor Casey. If there was indeed a crime committed here, it could well have its roots in Chicago.
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Thank you.
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 1 week ago
For what? People have been murdered in the Bahamas before inclusive of 2 foreign women raped and buried on beaches
trueBahamian 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Let's be honest, our police ain't that good. But, this is a case involving a US citizen so there is pressure. They will do more than their usual. If all of the personal items is there except the passport that is odd. Why is it missing? Did she leave on her own? It's not likely that some criminal would have taken it with along with her unless it was in her possession at the time. People usually don't take their passports with them at all times.
The comment about the Minister of National Security lying about the FBI being involved, I don't think he would have lied. A US citizen missing overseas would lead to the FBI's involvement. Why are they expecting to get her phone back in the middle of an investigation? They may be frustrated but you have to allow the authorities the keg room to do their job.
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
What perplexes me is the mother demanding to have her child's phone, as if she possesses greater access to technology and data integration methods than law enforcement agencies and their globally networked laboratories. Alternatively, it raises the question of whether there is something on the phone she wishes to conceal, such as evidence of an overbearing presence that Mr. Taylor might be trying to escape from.
trueBahamian 4 months, 2 weeks ago
I doubt embarrassment is her concern. I think she probably just feels she may see something that can lead her to finding her child. But, if a crime was committed here she will only be getting in the way. What's interesting here is she was at the yoga retreat. So, do they have security cameras? Can anyone just come on to their property? If she's in a rent on property I assume there are other tents around, so no one heard anything? Then the passports missing? It seems to suggest she just left. The typical criminal here wouldn't leave with their victim. There would be a crime scene at thr yoga retreat. Usually, people who are victims of crimes are not quiet during the criminal act..even if a gun was used the initial reaction when seeing someone is to make noise. To agree with a previous commenter, if a crime was committed here it would more than likely be someone who followed her from Chicago. This doesn't come across as some random act, if a crime was committed.
IslandWarrior 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Yes, you are correct. There is video footage showing an American male from Chicago, reportedly, and it appears Mr Taylor (the missing 41-year-old) knew the other person, possibly his boyfriend, who followed him to the Bahamas. Give this two more days, and I am confident it will quietly fade away, much like the recent rape incident at Sandals some years back, the rape allegation in Freeport (where the video showed a completely different story), 'elderly' Canadian woman where it was reported that she was assaulted, but it turned out she ended up in a hotel room with another Canadian. Unfortunately, visitors mistake Bahamian hospitality for weakness, leading to these troubling incidents.
ThisIsOurs 4 months, 1 week ago
Date rape is the most widely reported classification of rape. Women raped by people known to them, men that they actually like, may have a romantic interest in and willingly go to secluded locations with for alone time but not necessarily wanting to engage in sexual consummation. Why is that so hard to understand? You could be on top of the woman and if she says stop I dont want to do this but you ignore her or get angry because you feel she led you on (or whatever other hair brain rationale that can be posed based on the wild theories posted), hold her down and do as you please that is rape
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