Mom reveals what she saw on her trip to the Bahamas – NBC Chicago
Close friends and family of Taylor Casey, a Chicago woman who disappeared during a yoga retreat in the Bahamas, sharply criticized the program’s leaders and investigators in a recent statement, calling their actions “disturbing and upsetting” as Casey has been missing for a second week.
“Let me make this clear to the U.S. media, the public and our government officials: We are not satisfied with the way this investigation has been handled to date,” Casey’s girlfriend Emily Williams said in the statement released Monday.
According to the statement, Williams and Collete Seymore, Casey’s mother, had recently returned to the United States from the Bahamas, where they met with officials from the U.S. Embassy, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the leadership of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, the program Casey was attending when she was reported missing.
“What we have learned and observed during our meetings with the authorities and the Ashram management is disturbing and infuriating,” Williams’ statement continued.
In a statement, the retreat said it reported Casey missing when she failed to attend morning classes. The group said it is working with authorities on an investigation into Casey’s disappearance.
Visit to yoga retreat where Taylor Casey disappeared described as ‘deeply disturbing’
According to the statement, the group representing Casey visited the Paradise Island retreat in Nassau on June 27, seven days after police announced that 41-year-old Casey had disappeared.
The statement added that Casey’s room and personal belongings – including a Bible, a teacher training textbook, yoga exercise materials and clothing – appeared to have “left largely untouched by local authorities.”
The group further described their visit to the retreat center as “deeply disturbing.”
“When we met with the leaders of the Sivananda Ashram, it became clear that they were having difficulty maintaining a linear and coherent narrative of Taylor’s disappearance,” Williams said in the statement.
The statement said police had continually instructed the delegation representing Casey not to speak to guests at the retreat, leading the group to believe that “preserving the tranquility and comfort of the tourist experience” had taken precedence over the disappearance of Casey, one of the missing participants.
In the statement, Seymore said she had to “beg” to speak to students, who then apparently relayed rehearsed information. The statement also said that not all students at the retreat had been informed of Casey’s disappearance and that no “missing persons” signs were found on the retreat grounds or in surrounding areas.
Seymore and Williams’ statement added that police asked participants at the retreat to submit statements about Casey, but police would not say whether any of them were interviewed or how many statements were collected.
The statement also described an incident in which a manager at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat said that two days before Casey’s disappearance, an “unidentified man with a walkie-talkie” was seen walking near the area where Casey’s tent was located.
A participant in the retreat also told the group that on the day of Casey’s disappearance, she was approached by the same man while we were sitting alone.
“The unidentified man was wearing a Celtics baseball cap and dressed all in black,” the statement said. “He claimed he was from Chicago and wanted to attend a yoga class. He then followed her onto the property.”
When some participants in the program learned of Casey’s disappearance, they decided to leave the program early, the statement said. After their visit to the retreat center, Williams and Seymore also changed their flights to return home earlier than planned, citing “fear for their own safety” and “the conditions and control of the narrative at the ashram” as the reason, the statement said.
The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment on Williams and Seymour’s allegations.
When Taylor Casey was reported missing
On June 25, five days after 41-year-old Casey was reported missing by police, organizers of the yoga program posted a message on Facebook saying Casey’s disappearance was discovered on June 20 “when she failed to attend morning classes.”
“Taylor Casey, a participant in our yoga certification program, is missing,” the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat posted on Facebook last week. “She was last seen at the retreat late in the evening of June 19th.”
The statement, which was also emailed to NBC Chicago, further asked that anyone with information on Casey’s whereabouts contact local police.
“The Ashram is cooperating with the authorities in the investigation,” the statement said. “Your support is greatly appreciated.”
A similar message was sent via email to yoga retreat participants on June 27.
“We notified Taylor’s family, the U.S. Embassy and police of the situation at the end of June 20 and continue to work with all parties involved,” said the email, obtained by NBC Chicago. “At the same time, please be assured that your safety is our top priority and appropriate measures have been taken to ensure your well-being.”
What is the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat?
The retreat on Paradise Island in Nassau is described on the group’s Facebook page as “a vibrant yoga ashram offering retreats, courses and teacher trainings, as well as cleansing and detoxification programs, healing arts training, family programs, kirtan and more.”
According to the group’s website, visitors can rent a variety of accommodation options for their stay at the ashram, including rooms, huts and tents.
Earlier this year, the retreat was featured in a travel guide called “Wellness Retreats & Destination Spas” by Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s luxury brand and website.
“I have the feeling that the police only did what was necessary”
In a statement from Casey’s family and friends on Monday, the actions of investigators and police in the Bahamas were also criticized, saying they had provided incomplete information and shown a “lack of serious attention” to the case.
For example, the statement said that although Bahamas National Security Minister Wayne Munroe told reporters that the FBI was involved in the search, U.S. embassy officials told Seymore otherwise.
“This means that the police made a claim to the public that is not true,” Seymore said in the statement. “This makes me question everything they said.”
During a local news conference, Nassau Police Chief Chrislyn Skippings said the “extensive” search for Casey involved drones, a canine unit and divers. She noted that officers were combing both the island and the area around it. However, family and friends were informed that the search was only being conducted between the yoga retreat and the Atlantis resort, an area that stretches about 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers).
And although Casey’s cellphone was located and recovered at sea, police refused to release the phone to the family, the statement said.
“I believe there may be information on the phone that we need,” Seymore said in the statement.
The statement also said that the Atlantis security team, not the Bahamas Police, was responsible for reviewing the surveillance videos found.
“This is every mother’s worst nightmare”
According to the statement, family and friends spoke with FBI officials on June 29 after returning from the island. However, the US did not intervene in the case, the statement said.
“I had to return home without her,” Seymore said. “This is every mother’s worst nightmare. I felt an urgent need to return because without the support of the U.S. government, we may never find out what happened to my Taylor.”
Hours before Seymore and Williams’ statements were released, Chicago police issued a missing person report for Casey.
“If you have had recent direct contact or correspondence with the missing persons listed above, or if you have any information regarding the current whereabouts of the missing persons, please immediately contact the Area 5 Special Victims Unit at (312) 746-6554,” the statement said.
Although the alert was issued several days after her disappearance was first reported in the Bahamas, police said Casey’s family reported her missing over the weekend.
US travel warning issued for the Bahamas
In January, the United States issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, warning that travelers to the Bahamas should “exercise increased caution due to crime.”
“Most crime occurs on the islands of New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport),” the warning states. “Violent crimes such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying in short-term rental vacation properties that do not have private security companies present.”
According to the Nassau Guardian, Director General of Tourism Latia Duncombe addressed the travel warning last week.
“It’s a safe destination and we need to make sure that visitors feel safe in the Bahamas,” Duncombe said. “When there are strange occurrences there, it’s a concern and we want to make sure we respond to them in a very measured way.”
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