Local officials Thursday morning stood alongside family and friends of Taylor Casey, an African American transgender woman who went missing last month while attending a yoga retreat in the Bahamas, calling for Illinois' delegation to get involved as the investigation in Casey's disappearance continues.
"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 update. "We will be calling on our federal delegation to do everything within their power to make sure that we are bringing Taylor home."
Casey, who turned 42 Thursday, was reported missing June 20 by employees of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat she was attending. The case remains under investigation by the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Bartlett and other speakers also called for elected officials to provide more support for other cases of Chicago trans women of color who have gone missing.
"I share in his heartbreak for Taylor's disappearance," Bartlett said. "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 press conference, attended by Casey's mother, Collette Seymore, turned emotional at times.
"I wonder where you are," Seymore said. "Are you okay? Are you in danger? Are you sick? Are you hurt? My nights are sleepless with worry about you."
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Emily Williams, a friend of Casey's who recently visited the Bahamas with Seymore to meet with local authorities and retreat leaders, also spoke at the conference. According to Williams, investigators during the trip offered unsatisfactory answers and misinformation.
"They couldn't keep details straight," Williams said. "We went to the Bahamas to get answers, and we left with more questions. And we left early because we feared for our safety. That's how dire the situation is."
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Williams went on to say that authorities suggested Casey left on her own volition, but "we know that's not true."
The press conference came days after the Royal Bahamas Police Force held an update about their findings.
Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said searches using divers and submersible drone technology were conducted near the area Casey's cell phone had been found, but that no new evidence had been discovered.
"They came up negative with additional information," Fernander said, adding that officers, canines and marines were continuing to search the area.
Fernander noted that the force was also investigating another missing persons case involving Devon Issacs, a local 17-year-old boy who disappeared more than seven weeks ago.
"That is a concern for us," Fernander said. "No kind of indication, no calls came in that they had any sighting of him."
Both investigations come as Michael Johnson, Chief Supt. of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, was placed on "garden leave" following recent social media circulation of "voice notes" involving Johnson.
"The Royal Bahamas police force has a proud history of service," Fernander said during the update. "Unfortunately, there may be instances where individuals fall short of our standards of integrity. This is painful, especially if found within senior ranks, nobody, and I repeat, nobody is above the law."
What we know as Taylor Casey remains missing
Casey was last seen the evening of June 19 at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, on Paradise Island in Nassau, where she was completing a yoga certification course. She was reported missing June 20 after retreat employees that said Casey "did not attend morning classes."
Five days after she was reported missing by police, organizers of the yoga program posted a message to Facebook about the disappearance.
"A participant from our yoga certification program, Taylor Casey is missing," The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat posted to Facebook. "She was last seen at the retreat late on the evening of June 19th."
In an interview Wednesday, Seymore said something sounded "off" in her daughter's voice when the two spoke the day before Casey disappeared.
“I got an eerie feeling after hanging up the phone with my child,” Seymore said. “And I sensed through the phone that something was wrong.”
Seymore also raised concerns about the integrity of the case, saying her daughter, a transgender woman of color, isn't receiving the proper investigation or attention because of who Casey is.
“I just feel like they are hiding something, covering up something, and they separated, isolated my child,” Seymore said. “My child was the only African American in the instructor’s class.”
What is the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat?
The retreat, on Paradise Island in Nassau, is described as a "vibrant yoga ashram offering vacations, courses, and teacher trainings as well as cleanses, detox programs, healing arts trainings, family programs, kirtan and more," according to the group's Facebook page.
Visitors are able to rent a variety of accommodations when staying at the Ashram, including rooms, huts and tents, the group's website showed.
Earlier this year, the retreat was featured as part of a "Wellness Retreats & Destination Spas" guide from Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's luxury brand and website.
Earlier in July, the Ashram issued the following statement:
"All of us are distraught over Taylor’s disappearance, and our hearts go out to her family and friends.. With that in mind, I wish to advise you that we did our best to provide Taylor’s mother and friends with support and comfort while they were in the Bahamas last week. We met with them along with the police and the representatives of the US embassy on two occasions – once at police headquarters and once at the ashram. Taylor’s family and friends stayed at the ashram for many hours after the end of the official meeting to collect her belongings and speak with Taylor’s teachers, fellow students and administrators.
To be clear, the police advised us that while we can encourage community members to speak with them, it must be their choice. So we announced their presence to Taylor’s classmates and teachers and invited anyone wanting to meet with them to come forward. Many of our community members chose to speak with them and the ashram did not intervene in terms of what individuals said. They were encouraged to speak freely. Any perceived hesitancy could have been due to their own grieving processes.
At the end of the afternoon, Taylor’s mother and friends thanked us profusely for our help."
July 5, the program posted an updated message to their Facebook page.
U.S. Travel Advisory issued for The Bahamas
In January, the U.S. issued a "Level 2" Travel Advisory for the Bahamas, warning that travelers should "exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime."
"The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands," the advisory said. "Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence. "
The Nassau Guardian said Director General of Tourism Latia Duncombe addressed the travel advisory last month.
“The destination is safe and we have to make sure visitors do feel safe when they visit the Bahamas," Duncombe said. "Whenever there is an odd occurrence, it does increase concern and we want to make sure we address it in a very measured way.”
