On her birthday, family of Taylor Casey cries for more help finding her in the Bahamas
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The family of missing woman Taylor Casey marked her 42nd birthday with a press conference in Chicago, calling on elected officials to help find the woman who has been missing for more than three weeks in the Bahamas.
The press conference, attended by Casey’s mother, Collette Seymore, officials, and friends of the LGBTQ community became emotional as Seymore wept.
“I wonder where you are. Are you okay? Are you in danger? Are you sick? Are you hurt? My nights are sleepless with worry about you.”
Taylor went missing on June 19 while seeking certification as a yoga instructor at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
“The pain I felt 42 years ago while birthing you doesn’t compare to the pain I feel on today with you missing out of our lives,” Seymore lamented. “The pain, the hurt, the agony is practically killing me.”
The Royal Bahamas Police Force has been leading the investigation and discovered Taylor’s phone under 56 feet of water but has been unable to access it. They have not found her American passport.
Seymore and Taylor’s friends have held meetings with the RBPF but have expressed dissatisfaction with the investigations. They are now calling on the elected officials in Chicago to pressure the US government for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) assistance with the mysterious case.
“You have the support of the mayor’s office,” Managing Deputy of External Affairs of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Office Kennedy Bartlett said during the press conference. “We will be calling on our federal delegation to do everything within their power to make sure that we are bringing Taylor home.”
“I share in his heartbreak for Taylor’s disappearance. Taylor, like too many Black women and girls, particularly those of the queer and trans communities, go missing.
“We’ll continue to make sure that all Black women and young girls who far too often go missing and disappear, that they are met with the types of love and care and tenacious searching that they deserve and that your family and your community.”
The family said they are expecting an update from Bahamian authorities on Friday.
