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

[FoxxTraxx]

That dock is where the harbour is where I heard the party boat during my class there; it's heavily trafficked by all sorts of boats.

The State Dept. travel advisory for the Bahamas specifically warned about recreational watercraft, water tours, and short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence. I suppose it's possible she crossed paths with someone with bad intentions. State Dept travel advisory for Bahamas Level 2

 

[Teche]

Her passport being missing is interesting to me. You don't typically keep your passport on your person when you're out of the country, I leave mine safe in my hotel room.

Was Taylor in the habit of keeping her passport with her because of the communal living accommodations? Surely they offer some kind of valuable lock up option for visitors, I would also feel uncomfortable leaving something like that out in my tent.

When I’ve traveled out of the country, my passport always remained on me. I kept it under my shirt and in a passport pouch.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I agree. That dock is where the harbour is where I heard the party boat during my class there; it's heavily trafficked by all sorts of boats. It's interesting she wasn't at the beach, which is where I thought she got swept away at night. I suppose falling into the water from the dock is another possibility, but I feel like they would've found her by now if that was the case. Weird and weirder.

Yes yes ...
Weird and weirder.
I have to try to give her mother a pass with her outrage
But something is so wrong with this picture.
I feel information os being hidden

moo

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 4, 2024

New photos released in search for missing Chicago woman Taylor Casey

The new photos give an inside look at how Taylor Casey was living before disappearing in the Bahamas.

abc7ny.com

The new photos show clothes, books and other items inside Casey's tent.

 

[JackieBrown]

It sounds like Atlantis needs to review their security footage for someone wearing all black and a Celtics cap to determine if this man is a guest or worker there. I hope they have been asked to preserve their footage for the timeframe in question.

 

[RickshawFan]

I haven't looked at the reviews for this particular venue, just commenting on many 1 star reviews that aren't reflective of the actual place; like: "I would pass on this restaurant, lousy customer service. We were late for our reservation and when we got there they'd given our table to someone else." Well, duh.

ETA: I just looked at the reviews on Google and I'm a little suspect of the most recent ones that seem to be posted after the disappearance of Taylor. Not sure if the posters have actually attended. However, on Tripadvisor most of the 1 star reviews are several years old and complain about the amenities. They make it sound like boot camp.

The reviews I saw were recent ones, like last year: very disparaging, by guests, and quite consistent with how the retreat is responding to this situation. Right on par, including their messaging.
My comments and personal views about how I like to vacation and basic services I expect (like an actual mattress) are a few posts back.

 

[tarabull]

It sounds like Atlantis needs to review their security footage for someone wearing all black and a Celtics cap to determine if this man is a guest or worker there. I hope they have been asked to preserve their footage for the timeframe in question.

Snipped...
...And, though Casey's cellphone was located in the ocean and recovered, police have declined to turn the phone over to family, the statement said.

“I believe that phone may have information we need on there,” Seymore said in the statement.

The statement also contends that the Atlantis security team, rather than the Bahamas Police Force, were the agency that reviewed any surveillance video found.

Mom of Chicago woman missing from Bahamas yoga retreat details 'disturbing' and 'deeply unsettling' visit to island amid investigation

 

[opensoulsurgery]

FWIW, another anecdote from me, but many many years ago now I was staying at Atlantis when a local man was shot right outside the property. The next morning when my mom went to buy a copy of the paper downstairs in the lobby (I'm aging myself, lol), the employee wouldn't let her buy one and took the whole stack of papers away because the shooting was on the front page and they didn't want guests knowing about it. I hate to be a cynic, but if Atlantis was the one reviewing the security footage it's possible they didn't bother looking hard enough because of the PR.

JMO.

 

[RickshawFan]

Does anyone know how open to the public this resort/retreat is? ie, are the beaches accessible to the general public or is there private access for guests?

There is a gigantic resort further along the beach, but it doesn't seem as though those visitors wander over to the retreat, which styles itself as having a private beach. The retreat is also right on a major yacht mooring area: you can see yachts of all descriptions on the opposite side from the beach.
IMO the cause for this disappearance is not from either of those sources. It troubles me that the "retreat" owners are unresponsive to LE and seem to want this whole matter to disappear.

 

[RickshawFan]

JUL 4, 2024

New photos released in search for missing Chicago woman Taylor Casey

The new photos give an inside look at how Taylor Casey was living before disappearing in the Bahamas.

abc7ny.com

The new photos show clothes, books and other items inside Casey's tent.

View attachment 515429View attachment 515430View attachment 515431View attachment 515432View attachment 515433

That's what their glamping tents are? I have a feeling photos of these tents are not in the PR portfolio. $80 a night for a Walmart tent? You could buy, like, 3 of them for that price.
IMO this wouldn't be permitted accommodation in the US.
For any kind of communal activity like this (except at a campground or festival, where you're actually camping, and you bring your own equipment), I would expect, at the very least, a large walled tent, on its own platform, with significant sidewalls and a beach view. You should be able to roll up walls, front flaps and back flaps, just to keep the damp from out of the tent, and bring fresh air in. A composting toilet per tent and outdoor shower.

Here's the kind of bathroom and other amenities (slide show) I would expect. This is from the Visit Puerto Rico site, and it's still quite basic, so it's not like I'm trying to compare a ritzy resort to the facilities at the retreat:

Pitahaya Glamping Eco-Retreat

Pitahaya Glamping Retreat Glamping provides an excellent opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and seek out and relax in truly magical places. Pitahaya Glamping Retreat, the first Puerto Rican glamping site truly fits that description.

www.discoverpuertorico.com

 

[RickshawFan]

Snipped...
...And, though Casey's cellphone was located in the ocean and recovered, police have declined to turn the phone over to family, the statement said.

“I believe that phone may have information we need on there,” Seymore said in the statement.

The statement also contends that the Atlantis security team, rather than the Bahamas Police Force, were the agency that reviewed any surveillance video found.

Mom of Chicago woman missing from Bahamas yoga retreat details 'disturbing' and 'deeply unsettling' visit to island amid investigation

It might have been footage on Atlantis equipment, though. It would be Atlantis property, in that case.

It doesn't surprise me the phone hasn't been turned over to family: it's evidence.

 

[iamshadow21]

That's what their glamping tents are? I have a feeling photos of these tents are not in the PR portfolio. $80 a night for a Walmart tent? You could buy, like, 3 of them for that price.
For any kind of communal activity like this (except at a campground or festival, where you're actually camping), I would expect, at the very least, a large walled tent, on its own platform, with significant sidewalls and a beach view. You should be able to roll up walls, front flaps and back flaps, just to keep the damp from out of the tent, and bring fresh air in. A composting toilet per tent and outdoor shower.

Here's the kind of bathroom and other amenities (slide show) I would expect. This is from the Visit Puerto Rico site:

Pitahaya Glamping Eco-Retreat

Pitahaya Glamping Retreat Glamping provides an excellent opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and seek out and relax in truly magical places. Pitahaya Glamping Retreat, the first Puerto Rican glamping site truly fits that description.

www.discoverpuertorico.com

Those ones at the ashram that are out in the weather don't even look like they're pitched on flat ground. Just stuffed into gaps between palm trees.

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

 

[RickshawFan]

I’m still undecided as to whether there was foul play involved vs misadventure / tragic accident.

I would suggest in general that motives behind violence against gender non-conforming people are often based on the self-serving narratives of the perpetrator of violence. Perpetuators are often unreliable narrators who will shift blame onto their victims while casting themselves as the “true victim.”

Which is to say that I strongly discount the “I was angry because I was fooled by a trans sex worker” excuse as unreliable. (I mention sex work because that’s where the “IDK, I didn’t know” narrative is often raised.)

MOO.

You can get businesses casting themselves as victims, too.

 

[RickshawFan]

Possibly, but this was a 41 year old, experienced with a career and other independent life choices. Also she had apparently been there before, and wanted to/was welcomed back.

JMO

I haven't seen where she'd been to that ashram before.

 

[RickshawFan]

Those ones at the ashram that are out in the weather don't even look like they're pitched on flat ground. Just stuffed into gaps between palm trees.

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

Reviews have said at least some tents were all in a row, cheek by jowl, on that big platform. I'd never even camp in the wild like that: you might as well be in someone else's bedroom.

 

[iamshadow21]

Reviews have said at least some tents were all in a row, cheek by jowl, on that big platform. I'd never even camp in the wild like that: you might as well be in someone else's bedroom.

It looks like a refugee camp.

I wonder how many per toilet/shower.

I was going to compare it to camping I did as a kid, but at least at my Brownie camp, I got a bunk bed and four walls.

MOO

 

[RickshawFan]

I know someone showed tents earlier. Here is a picture from a guest review that shows how tents are arranged. Too close for comfort for me. I would never be able to relax
Is the walkway between the tents the platform the man was seen on?
View attachment 515298

Since these tents are much higher quality and roomier than the photos where Taylor was staying..... Some reviews do say the advertised photos are nothing like on-site reality.
And this is a tropical island: there's no way these tents can be aired out, even if you had ALL the "windows" open. This is, like, suffocating. The contents of your tent would be open for everyone to see, and any time someone went to the bathroom in the night, you'd be woken up.
Imagine a fire....

 

[RickshawFan]

It looks like a refugee camp.

I wonder how many per toilet/shower.

I was going to compare it to camping I did as a kid, but at least at my Brownie camp, I got a bunk bed and four walls.

MOO

To me, it looks like homeless encampments in CA. And it looks extremely unsafe.

And, yes, like you, I was thinking of Girl Scout camp, which has WAY better facilities than this. If this retreat had facilities like that very basic camp of my childhood, it would, indeed, be a place about "detoxing", health, and safety.
My Girl Scout camp had walled canvas tents, each on a platform, 2-person or 4-person, with cots. They still do. Walls and flaps were rolled up to the open air unless it was pouring. The bathroom was nearby.