sivanandayogaretreatcenter

The distressed family and friends of American woman Taylor Casey who vanished one month ago in the Bahamas are holding out hope she’ll be found, though there are no new updates on her whereabouts since June 19.

Her family said they expected an update from the Royal Bahamas Police Force last Friday, but have not received it. They are still campaigning for the Chicago woman’s safe return while pleading for the FBI’s support in finding her.

Jacqueline Boyd has known Taylor for 17 years and describes her as an “amazing, amazing friend.”

“Anybody that has been in a room with her is really, really devastated right now, personally impacted and motivated to action,” he told CNN. “And it is fully a reflection of how Taylor shows up for us.”

Friends say Taylor, a transgender woman who grew up in south suburban Harvey, Illinois, and most recently moved to Rogers Park in Chicago, is an Air Force veteran, a community worker, a woman of faith, an artist, and a hairstylist.

“Taylor’s favorite things are flowers and gardens and just peace,” her mother, Colette Seymore told CNN. “Taylor is a very gentle spirit. Taylor just loves people, loves to help people, cares about people, cares about justice (and) fairness.”

Taylor had worked with Howard Brown Health in HIV testing and prevention, her friends said.

Since knowing her for just six years, Darlene Hughes, Taylor’s aunt said, “I immediately was adopted by her!”

“I love and I miss her proper voice and choice of words like ‘Hi Aunt Darlene.’ Just like that, I was accepted into Taylor’s heart. I am so fulfilled that I met her, but that is not enough for me. Please bring Taylor Casey home.”

Taylor was on a trip to the Bahamas to certify as a yoga instructor at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island when she mysteriously disappeared. Police found her phone in waters not far from where she stayed but were unsuccessful in recovering the contents of the phone, Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said.

Authorities have not found her US passport, raising an alarm in Chicago’s transgender and LGBTQ+ community, who founded the @findtaylorcasey Facebook and Instagram pages to bring awareness to her disappearance.

LGBTQ Pastor Marcus Payne II and the congregation of Lighthouse Church of Chicago are holding nights of prayer, hoping for the safe return of Taylor Casey to Chicago, Illinois.

“Our community is broken and distraught right now during this time,” Payne said at a press conference in Chicago, in honor of Taylor’s birthday.   Payne, Taylor’s family and friends pleaded for the government’s assistance in finding the 42-year-old last seen in the Bahamas.

“She is a vital heartbeat, the heart pulse of our people.”

Taylor, a transgender woman, visited the Bahamas for a four-week yoga training course at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island. She was last seen on June 19. Now Bahamian investigators are trying to piece together the puzzle of her mysterious disappearance.

Her phone found roughly 56 feet below water could not be accessed by investigators and her US passport has not been found, police said.

Taylor’s mother, Collette Seymour has called for assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and, she is now pressuring US elected officials to do more to find her child who celebrated her 42nd birthday on Thursday.

Taylor served actively in her church where she was on the hospitality team and “regularly participated in monthly meals [and] community conversations throughout the week.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lighthouse Church of Chicago (@lighthousecchi)

Lighthouse Church of Chicago is an LGBTQ-affirming church, whose mission Payne said is to be passionate about social justice and the gospel of Jesus Christ, “through, empowerment, entertainment and education.”

“Taylor’s fashion sense, her sense of curiosity towards the world, how she saw the world as beautiful and saw God through it, is something our community is all right now, missing deeply and truly,” Payne said.

The church has organized prayer calls for Taylor and is sharing updates on social media.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lighthouse Church of Chicago (@lighthousecchi)

He urged elected officials to help find Taylor. “Government needs to move urgently.”

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).

Taylor Casey, the missing 41-year-old American woman who disappeared from Paradise Island while staying at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat Center, stayed more than two weeks in a tent living quarter.

Like thousands of guests, she experienced the “otherworldly” and “idyllic” property “flanked by dense tropical gardens and white sand beaches” as praised by Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop lifestyle brand.

Taylor was on a four-week training course to become a certified yoga instructor and would have paid $3300 for the accommodations, based on the information from the retreat’s website. Her accommodations appeared to be a private 8×8” tent hut with a single bed. Its amenities include the Bahama breeze, furnished with a closet, nightstand, bedside lamp, fan, and electrical outlets. Towels and bedding were provided onsite and shared bathrooms were a short distance away.

“Sleep in the fresh, tropical air while still enjoying indoor comforts… It’s the easiest camping you’ll ever do, while you’re safely surrounded by your Tent Hut neighbors,” the website reads.

Other guests who did not wish to use the accommodations offered by the center, were encouraged to bring their tents along with their camping gear, mattress, and towels.

“Set up your tent near the beach, bay, or amongst the palm trees. Create your own sacred space within in the Ashram to reconnect with nature and sleep close to the earth. And you won’t be completely alone — get ready to meet ‘tent neighbors’ from around the world!”

Because Taylor was taking the teaching course, she was expected to undertake the “ancient Holistic Yoga Philosophy (5 Points of Yoga) and Yogic Lifestyle, as developed by Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnudevananda—Karma and Reincarnation, Meditation, Yoga Anatomy and Physiology, Yoga Nutrition, and various types of yoga.

Upon graduation from the Teacher Training Course, Taylor would have been certified as a Sivananda yoga teacher and would have been able to teach at Yoga centers or offer Yoga classes in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother Colette Seymour said she was excited to return home to teach yoga before her family learned of her disappearance.

Taylor was to be taught by swamis– Hindu yoga guru and religious teachers and stayed at the Asham, known as the secluded dwelling of a Hindu sage or a religious retreat.

The website says, “Living at our Ashram, you’ll experience uplifting Satsangs, engaging lectures by Swamis and expert speakers, and vibrant concerts featuring world-renowned Kirtan singers and performers.

It continues, “Our authentic ashram experience takes you to the depth and vibrancy of spiritual and cultural traditions from ancient India, right here in the Bahamas. Your journey of yoga, meditation, insight, and music, will nourish your soul, challenge your intellect, and uplift your spirit.”