‘Facts indicate Taylor Casey left voluntarily’: Yoga retreat refutes the mother of missing American woman
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Sivananda Asham Yoga Retreat Center, facing heavy criticism, is hitting back at “false” claims made by the family of missing American tourist Taylor Casey, last seen near their site before her mysterious disappearance.
Colette Seymore, the mother of Taylor suggested that something sinister occurred at the retreat on Paradise Island and her daughter may have been abducted by an unknown man who wandered near Taylor’s tent, claims she said was told to her by a retreat manager.
“That is false and defamatory and not based on facts,” Peter Goudie, representing the retreat said to the Tribune, adding that all indications suggest Taylor left “voluntarily” since her personal belongings were still in the tent where she stayed.
Seymore visited the Bahamas on a three-day trip with other family and friends hoping to find her daughter. She showed images inside the tent where Taylor lived—an unmade bed, flip-flops, t-shirts, a bible, a picture of Jesus, cotton swabs, affirmation cards, books, and a yoga training book.
Local authorities confirmed Taylor’s passport remains missing and her phone was found in waters nearby.
“The tent photo…taken by Ms Casey’s family shows no signs of struggle…Her toothbrush and personal care products were in the tent in the photo, indicating she was going to return,” Goudie told the Tribune.
Seymore told the media that she was told of two men wandering the property on different days, once on the platform near Taylor’s tent and another time, a man dressed in all black was questioning an employee about the yoga retreat.
But Goudie said, “The man is from Atlanta and was staying next door at the Atlantis Resort. He was simply taking a stroll on the beach and was interested in knowing more about our yoga classes. We often have inquiries about the yoga retreat from the guests at Atlantis.
“The other individual was holding a walkie-talkie, and our best guess is that he is a security guard for one of our neighbors. He entered the ashram at about 2 pm –– a time when our students were in class –– and stayed for a couple of minutes and left.”
The mysterious disappearance has sparked debates on what could have possibly happened to the woman and has shined a spotlight on crime and visitor safety in the Bahamas.
Taylor is light-skinned, 145 lbs, with brown eyes and hair. If you see Taylor, you are asked to call 919 or crime tipsters 328-TIPS(8477).
