Bahamas - Taylor Casey, 41, Chicago, last seen in at yoga retreat, Paradise Island, Nassau, 19 Jun 2024

[branmuffin]

Things I’d pack for at that “retreat”;

—my collapsible Ikea wash bowl
—two real actual towels; I’d use the skimpy issued one as a mattress pad
—a light camping blanket
—a silk or coolmax sleeping bag liner
—my super-collapsible camping lounge chair
—my cheap ikea pillow
—my 3-inch car camping Thermarest
—some healthy snacks like dark chocolate and pre-cooked bacon
—my travel kettle, tea bag supply, and powdered milk in a cockroach-proof jar
—wipes for butt, body, hair, feet, crotch and armpits, 3 packs for each body part
—100-pack of toilet seat covers
—32 oz of Purell
—3 canisters of deodorant
—nuun
—ear plugs
—a safe
—locks for all the tent zippers
—a kindle loaded with murder mysteries and hacks for survival in a sheer tent cheek-by-jowl with 30 other people when you’re required to be nice for a month; there’s gotta be loads of those on YT

I would be a nice gesture to bring 50 packs of butt wipes for the other attendees.

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

The man is from Atlanta and was staying next door at the Atlantis Resort,” Mr Goudie said. “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.

Apparently this is the same guy that approached Taylor on the beach. They imply that he was just having a good walk on the beach and was enjoying asking Taylor about questions about the yoga retreat. Though an earlier witness said that the man that talked to Taylor on the beach wore a Celtics hat and was from Chicago Ashram said they found him and that he was from Atlanta and staying at the Atlantis resort. They further said that retreat participant stated they misidentified him.

I don’t see how. This is neither a geography or biography test and they were still right that someone approached Casey, walked with her and asked about the Ashram. The more important part is not whether he roots for Celtics, the Bulls or the Hawks but that this info was passed onto LE to further help in the investigation.

The other individual described in your report was holding a walkie-talkie, and our best guess is that he is a security guard for one of our neighbours. He entered the ashram at about 2pm –– a time when our students were in class –– and stayed for a couple of minutes and left.”

What do they mean they guess? Is it normal for their neighbor’s security to walk through the ashram when no one was really there?

Was there a reason why he would be there? Was he looking for something or someone?

How do students feel about that considering it was guessed that an unnamed security strolled through the area where their unsecured tents and belongings are?

It was an employee who noticed him. Why didn’t he say anything to them?

Why not ask just ask you neighbors? Maybe entry into Ashram is pretty lax if all you have to do is pretend to be a security guard by dressing in all black while whispering into a kids walkie talkie you bought from Toys R’ Us?

Overall, I guess good job being proactive in identifying the two previously mentioned individuals. I am guessing, or hoping all this information was passed on to LE who could later confirm these details and hopefully gain some insight into further narrowing down and locate Taylor’s whereabouts with end goal of reuniting her with her family.

I did find Ashram’s PR team’s response a tad distasteful because of how aggressive their tone was towards the Casey family. IMO instead of pointing out how wrong Casey family and their witnesses are maybe more of a show of compassion in the spirit of Taylor Casey would be a better display of the mindfulness and self-awareness you yogis keep preaching of.

Maybe the PR consultant who helped Ashram write this letter should be rewarded with a free invite to their morning breathing exercises

Taylor ‘not taken from yoga retreat’

THE Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat American Taylor Casey visited before she disappeared said she was not abducted from the site and that evidence suggests she left the retreat voluntarily.

www.tribune242.com

 

[RickshawFan]

To you it looks like toothpaste not to everyone. I said all it would take is the wrong person assuming it was drugs and make her a target. Never accused her of having or doing drugs.

Okay, yes, great point. I actually think few people would perceive it as a toothpaste substitute, and they’re more likely to assume it’s a powdered drug.

 

[RickshawFan]

JUL 10, 2024

Mother of American missing in Bahamas shielded daughter's trans identity

Taylor Casey’s mother said that detail wasn’t initially publicized because she feared it would hurt the search for her daughter, who was on a yoga retreat when she was last seen June 19.

www.nbcnews.com

The mother of an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month while on a monthlong yoga retreat revealed that her daughter is transgender, a detail she said she had withheld out of fear it might negatively affect the search.

[...]

“The focus was going to be taken off of finding my child, my child being missing and that they were going to put the focus on ‘oh, Taylor’s transgender,’ which should not be the focus at all,” said Casey’s mother, Colette Seymore, referring to the media. “It should be the focus is finding Taylor, an American, human being citizen that’s missing in the Bahamas.”

[...]

“Taylor told me, ‘Ma, this is hard,’” Seymore said. “And when Taylor told me that, I just felt something, because Taylor is not a quitter, and Taylor loves yoga and really wanted to do that. I just had this eerie feeling.”

Later, Seymore and Williams said, they were told that Casey appeared “isolated” and “not integrated well into the program” by several people who attended the retreat. Casey was the only Black person and the only trans person out of the 14 retreat participants, Williams said.

[...]

This is what I was fearing. For several reasons, she might not have fit into the culture of the retreat. There may also have been a wealth differential, they may not have had Taylor’s commitment to social justice (the retreat seems appalling short of this sensibility, given that they’ve exempted themselves from scrutiny), her Christian commitments (bible in tent), and clearly someone was making a lot of money at this retreat—it certainly wasn’t being spent on accommodations—which doesn’t jibe with the yoga theme.

 

[RickshawFan]

I would be a nice gesture to bring 50 packs of butt wipes for the other attendees.

The aroma on those platforms must be mind-bending. There’s zero protection from your neighbors, and between sweat, seawater, inadequate facilities, overemphasis on vegetables, and grubby feet…

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Of the 321 murders of trans and gender-nonconforming people reported worldwide from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, 74% were committed in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a study by the LGBTQ advocacy group Transgender Europe. The study also found that 91% of the worldwide trans murder victims were trans women or female-presenting and that the majority were people of color.

Mother of American missing in Bahamas shielded daughter's trans identity

The mother of an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month while on a monthlong yoga retreat revealed that her daughter is transgender, a detail she said she had withheld out of fear it might negatively affect the search.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Lilibet]

Of the 321 murders of trans and gender-nonconforming people reported worldwide from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, 74% were committed in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a study by the LGBTQ advocacy group Transgender Europe. The study also found that 91% of the worldwide trans murder victims were trans women or female-presenting and that the majority were people of color.

Mother of American missing in Bahamas shielded daughter's trans identity

The mother of an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month while on a monthlong yoga retreat revealed that her daughter is transgender, a detail she said she had withheld out of fear it might negatively affect the search.

www.yahoo.com

Those statistics are horrifying!

 

[HoneyBunOne]

Of the 321 murders of trans and gender-nonconforming people reported worldwide from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, 74% were committed in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a study by the LGBTQ advocacy group Transgender Europe. The study also found that 91% of the worldwide trans murder victims were trans women or female-presenting and that the majority were people of color.

Mother of American missing in Bahamas shielded daughter's trans identity

The mother of an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month while on a monthlong yoga retreat revealed that her daughter is transgender, a detail she said she had withheld out of fear it might negatively affect the search.

www.yahoo.com

I came here to quote this exact paragraph. This does not bode well for Taylor. 74% in Latin America/the Carribbean alone? 91% present like Taylor and are black? I really, really hate to think she's become another statistic.

The fact that her mum said she sounded a bit odd on the Wednesday, she found the classes "intense", and that allegedly she didn't appear to settle in well with other guests, might make her want to cut loose and attend the alleged party. Maybe she wanted to put all the seriousness aside, perhaps loneliness, maybe a heavy or weird vibe from the ashram and just be free for a little bit. Perhaps as the only black person there she felt, or was made to feel, out of place. Perhaps a party outside the resort, quite possibly with some black people, who's culture she could possibly relate to, was what she needed that night to get her through the next 2 weeks. I believe she was just over halfway through her month long stay. Enough time to have settled in to a rhythm, but still enough time left that there wasn't really an end in sight.

What bothers me in this case, is that people will be coming and going every day from this island. By the look of it, they can arrive and leave by several of the docks. It appears possible for any local with a boat to cross from Nassau, is that right? Is there a helipad on Paradise Island for the rich and famous? I fear that if Taylor came to harm at the hands of someone, and not had an accident, that person is long gone, and there were no measures in place to try and stop that happening.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Thursday's press conference, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., comes days after the Royal Bahamas Police Force provided an update on their investigation.

"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, on July 5 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."

Family, friends of Chicago woman who disappeared while attending Bahamas yoga retreat to hold press conference

Friends and family describe Taylor Casey, a Black, transgender woman has been missing since June 20, as a "fixture" in Chicago's transgender community

www.nbcchicago.com

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 11, 2024

Family of Taylor Casey, Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas, calls for FBI help on her 42nd birthday

Family and friends of Taylor Casey, the Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas for more than three weeks, are asking for help from the FBI on Thursday, her 42nd birthday.

www.cbsnews.com

Family and friends of Taylor Casey, the Chicago woman missing in The Bahamas, will ask for help from the FBI on Thursday, her 42nd birthday.

The family is hosting a media conference and another event at the South Shore Cultural Center.

 

[RickshawFan]

I came here to quote this exact paragraph. This does not bode well for Taylor. 74% in Latin America/the Carribbean alone? 91% present like Taylor and are black? I really, really hate to think she's become another statistic.

The fact that her mum said she sounded a bit odd on the Wednesday, she found the classes "intense", and that allegedly she didn't appear to settle in well with other guests, might make her want to cut loose and attend the alleged party. Maybe she wanted to put all the seriousness aside, perhaps loneliness, maybe a heavy or weird vibe from the ashram and just be free for a little bit. Perhaps as the only black person there she felt, or was made to feel, out of place. Perhaps a party outside the resort, quite possibly with some black people, who's culture she could possibly relate to, was what she needed that night to get her through the next 2 weeks. I believe she was just over halfway through her month long stay. Enough time to have settled in to a rhythm, but still enough time left that there wasn't really an end in sight.

What bothers me in this case, is that people will be coming and going every day from this island. By the look of it, they can arrive and leave by several of the docks. It appears possible for any local with a boat to cross from Nassau, is that right? Is there a helipad on Paradise Island for the rich and famous? I fear that if Taylor came to harm at the hands of someone, and not had an accident, that person is long gone, and there were no measures in place to try and stop that happening.

IMO a threat could come just as easily (perhaps more easily) from within the retreat, than some random connection on the beach. There was so much opportunity to be watched, scrutinized, and become the target of ill will on an extended basis.

After reading online reviews, I don’t think the retreat is at all a benign community. The problems that are being complained about reflect the internal feel of the place. And then, I look at that snippet of video ^^^ , and it very much confirms. My hair rises on my neck.

 

[RickshawFan]

I don’t see how tracker dogs would work in this instance. Taylor could have gone to the beach and back multiple times before the night she went missing.

 

[branmuffin]

Of the 321 murders of trans and gender-nonconforming people reported worldwide from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, 74% were committed in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a study by the LGBTQ advocacy group Transgender Europe. The study also found that 91% of the worldwide trans murder victims were trans women or female-presenting and that the majority were people of color.

Mother of American missing in Bahamas shielded daughter's trans identity

The mother of an American woman who went missing in the Bahamas last month while on a monthlong yoga retreat revealed that her daughter is transgender, a detail she said she had withheld out of fear it might negatively affect the search.

www.yahoo.com

Do you think the black and Latino culture are more attuned to the macho culture than, let's say, white or Asian culture? Is seeing a male presenting himself as female viewed as an affront to their culture more than in other cultures? Based on this study done in 2016, black and Latino transgender populations are over represented on the overall percentage of the population within the US.

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Race-Ethnicity-Trans-Adults-US-Oct-2016.pdf

There seems to be a dichotomy within both cultures, imo, when it comes to conservativism based on religious roots especially when it comes to sexuality. Using the famous Brazilian parade Rio Carnival and the famous Toronto Caribana parade as examples, the women are very scantily dressed wearing fantastic, imaginative costumes that accent their female sensuality. There's a lot of dancing with overt sexual overtones by participants and attendees (of all cultures) celebrating that difference.

Gay-friendly Toronto has the largest population in Canada of LGBTQ, yet even within that community there is discrimination against transgender people, especially those of colour.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/people-of-colour-say-racism-exclusion-fetishization-rampant-in-lgbtq-communities-1.6471430

Even in RuPaul's Drag Race show black contestants seem to support the claim that within certain communities trans adults are overrepresented based on total population percentages.

Whether this has anything to do with Taylor's disappearance and she is a victim of misadventure vs foul play, I don't know. But those stats should be taken into consideration.

 

[mlhenn]

Family of Chicago woman missing in Bahamas call for federal help on her birthday

A Chicago family is praying for a miracle that their daughter is found safe in the Bahamas.

abc7chicago.com

"Taylor, today is your birthday and we all just want to say 'Happy birthday' although it's not so happy because you are not here with us," Seymore said.

Thursday morning, Taylor's family and friends celebrated with bubbles in front of city hall where they held a news conference calling on local elected officials to put more pressure on police in the Bahamas saying they have lost faith in the integrity of the investigation.

"And that's why we're calling on the senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to put pressure on the state department to tell the royal Bahamian police force to get the FBI down there right now and find Taylor," Emily Williams, Taylor's friend, said.

 

[mlhenn]

Taylor Casey update: Missing woman's tearful mom alleges police corruption

Taylor Casey's mother and friend said they were "not surprised" to hear about a Bahamas police official placed on leave.

www.newsweek.com

"We're not surprised that Michael Johnson has now been suspended for corruption because we felt that while we were there and we could tell by the way the details weren't lining up," Williams said.

"If he can be corrupt in that department and take bribes for dropping investigation cases, that just gives me a grave concern about how did you treat my child's case?" Seymore said. "And I saw, actually, how they treated it when we were there. Nonchalant, lack of urgency, lack of care."

 

[TheMom77]

Aw I share a birthday with Taylor. I hope she is somehow found safe. Thinking of her family.

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

Perhaps a party outside the resort, quite possibly with some black people, who's culture she could possibly relate to, was what she needed that night to get her through the next 2 weeks.

I was thinking that possibility too after reading a few of the articles posted above. It would make sense and be very understandable if she decided to spend time connecting and partying with those she hoped she could relate more to, feel more comfortable around, and less like an outsider, and possibly even get the chance to share or confide in about her sense of isolation and antagonism regards to gender and racial based isolation at Ashram. Furthermore, in this scenario I could imagine her being very excited to attend a Juneteenth party since it would both give her time to celebrate and recognize her roots and take her away from the grounds of Ashram.

I don’t see how tracker dogs would work in this instance. Taylor could have gone to the beach and back multiple times before the night she went missing.

I agree especially in light of the fact that tracking dogs Can detect scents, and by extension a person’s movements from seven days ago.

In light of her cell phone being found 50 feet below the surface and wondering if and how she may have sadly ended up in the water, I wonder if there were any parties tailored to Taylor’s interests, like the Juneteenth celebration her friend mentioned, that took place on a boat or more specifically a yacht or ferry on the night she went missing. Many cities and island countries offer booze cruises and such and if one was taking place or available to her I wonder if LE were able to investigate the possibility she was on one, by for example talking to the guests, staff and captain, reviewing any of their CCTV and security recordings or possibility bringing the search dogs to them to see if they detect anything? Were LE able to track the current’s direction from that night to look for possible locations from which it had floated from or have they determined that any boats, ferries or cruises were over that area the phone was found in on the night and June 10th? Not accusing anyone of anything of course but maybe such tracking could help them find more witnesses or passersby who could offer more insight about any unusual or noteworthy activity in the water, on the beach or the docks that could be useful for them as they search for Taylor.

JMO and speculations/thoughts based on the Press conference and the readings posted above

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 11, 2024

Family of missing American in Bahamas calls for U.S. to intervene

Taylor Casey went missing while on a yoga retreat in the Bahamas last month. Her family and friends held a news conference in Chicago on Thursday, her 42nd birthday.

www.nbcnews.com

Casey’s friends and relatives have been urging Illinois’ senators to pressure the State Department and FBI for help. They said they want U.S. officials to intervene with Bahamian authorities in Casey’s disappearance.

“If we don’t have answers, we’re going to keep pushing,” Emily Williams, a close friend of Casey’s, said. “That’s why we’re calling on the senators, Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth, to put pressure on the State Department, to tell the Royal Bahamian Police Force to get the FBI down there right now and find Taylor.”

‘We will celebrate your life’: Family of missing trans woman calls attention to her disappearance on her birthday

Family and friends of Taylor Casey, a trans woman from Chicago who has been missing in the Bahamas since June 20, marked Casey's 42nd birthday as the search continues.

abcnews.go.com

Speakers at Thursday’s press conference included Seymore, friends of Casey, a spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and leaders from Black-LGBTQ+ spaces in Chicago.

The family also said that Casey, who is transgender, is part of the demographic of transgender people of color who are at a higher risk of violence, both in the U.S. and abroad.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 11, 2024

'Dire' situation: Chicago officials pledge support for Casey Taylor, woman who disappeared at Bahamas yoga retreat

The press conference, also attended by Casey's mother, Collette Seymore, turned emotional at times.

www.nbcchicago.com

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."

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/us/taylor-casey-birthday-missing-bahamas-reaj/index.html

Williams mentioned in the news conference that the Royal Bahamian Police Force said they will have an update for Casey’s family and friends by Friday.

“We want that update. It’s been three weeks – we want an update,” she said.

Following the news conference a birthday party was held for Casey, that included balloons, snacks and games.

 

[RickshawFan]

Personal opinion....This whole case makes me livid, from the exclusiveness of western yoga, to the comfortable living you have to have to be a practitioner, to the absurd prices some of these retreats are charging in developing countries with very low overhead, to exploiting folks with free labor ("volunteers", as at this Bahamian retreat), to the reality of accommodations that are far different than advertised, to institutionalized discomfort at this retreat, exploitation in every dimension.... and how uncomfortable this must be for someone in an outlier demographic, when really it shouldn't be, because yoga is supposed to be a kind of universal happiness, feel good, and welcoming place. I've never found it so, but that's how it's marketed and imaged in the western world. And I find it to be cult-like: gives me the willies.
Because this has been my experience, I feel terror on behalf of Taylor, and what she must have gone through.