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

[minazoe]

I think the explanation that he's from the ($$$$) resort next door and interested in yoga classes makes sense. If not, how do we suppose he kidnapped 6' tall Taylor without anyone taking note?? Certainly his mere presence was noticed on the beach.

okay yes from the resort next door, but why does he have a walkie talkie? is this normal? whom is he communicating with on this thing? at the very least they need to identify this person. mOO

 

[RickshawFan]

why is there a man from Chicago with a walkie talkie, snooping around an ashram in the middle of the Bahamas?

makes no sense and could be extremely important. mOO

From reviews, it sounds like the staff were volunteers. No pay. Strange, and blows my mind in an expensive place (seriously, what were visitors paying for?) but… So, that might explain “random man from Chicago”.

 

[mlhenn]

Thanks for clarifying those things for me. Is there any sort of timeline of when classes were on the Wednesday, when dinner was served, if there was any evening activities that guests must attend? What about the time the text was sent? What time exactly was Taylor last seen on the Wednesday? Has that even been established, or reported?

Here’s an example of the daily schedule provided on their site:

Morning
6:00 a.m – Start the day with the serenity of early morning meditation. The clear sea air and radiant dawn aid the mind to focus and the body to be still. Half an hour of silent meditation is followed by joyful chanting, a spiritual talk or reading, and closing prayers.
8:00 a.m. – Two-hour class of asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (yogic breathing techniques), and relaxation that invigorates and refreshes the body and mind.
10:00 a.m. – Delicious vegetarian brunch
Midday
Create your own optimal afternoon schedule. Take an experiential workshop, attend a lecture or enjoy a healing art session. Study, swim, relax on the beach, or go snorkeling. Take a snack break at the Boutique, meet new or old friends or take time to read a book in the tropical gardens.
4:00 p.m. – Two-hour yoga class. Feel how your body achieves maximum stretch at this time and the great progress that can be made. Observe as your breath gets calmer and your mind clearer in the serenity of your afternoon practice.
6:00 p.m. – Dinner
After dinner, take an early evening walk on the beach, enjoying the beautiful sunset.
Evening
8:00 p.m. – Satsang (meditation, chanting and talk) completes the day During the evening satsang we usually enjoy a concert, a dance performance or a talk by one of our special guests.
10:00 p.m. Lights-off

Yoga Vacation Program

Simplify, reset, and reconnect with yourself. The ashram offers an all-inclusive experience with a private beach, daily yoga classes, satsangs (meditation & chanting), engaging talks, performances, and workshops from acclaimed presenters daily. Whether you're new to yoga or experienced, the pro

sivanandabahamas.org

 

[PommyMommy]

why is there a man from Chicago with a walkie talkie, snooping around an ashram in the middle of the Bahamas?

makes no sense and could be extremely important. mOO

I thought the man from Chicago (on the beach) and the guy with the walkie talkie (on the tent platform) were two different people. ?

Family of Taylor Casey calling on FBI to help find Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas

Casey's mother traveled to the retreat last week, but said her visit was "deeply unsettling."

abc7chicago.com

According to Ram Soskin, the lead manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, the Monday before Casey's disappearance, an unidentified man with a walkie-talkie was seen walking the same platform where Taylor's tent was located.

One of the retreat's participants who the Find Taylor Casey team spoke to said that Casey was approached while sitting alone at the beach by a stranger the same day she was last seen.

The man was wearing a Celtics baseball cap and dressed in all black. He claimed he was from Chicago and was interested in taking a yoga class. He proceeded to follow her onto the property, according to the website created to help find Taylor Casey. A donation page is set up here.

 

[mlhenn]

Taylor Casey update: Bahamas police found Chicago woman's phone under 50+ feet of water

On Monday, police revealed they had found Taylor Casey's phone under 50-plus feet of water, and both Bahamian and U.S. authorities have been unsuccessful in getting information from it.

abc7chicago.com

July 8

According to this article:

Police in the Bahamas gave an update Monday on a missing Chicago woman.

On Monday, they revealed they had found it under 50-plus feet of water, and both Bahamian and U.S. authorities have been unsuccessful in getting information from it.

Police also said Monday that dogs picked up on a scent from the yoga tent during their search, but it ultimately did not lead to anything.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 8, 2024

Yoga retreat says it is doing what it can to help find Casey

Amid claims by the family of Taylor Casey, a 41-year-old American woman who went missing from the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Center on Paradise Island more than two weeks ago,

www.thenassauguardian.com

[...]

“The Sivananda Ashram and our community are all distraught over Taylor’s disappearance, and our collective hearts go out to her family and friends,” it said in a statement on Friday.

[...]

“We met with them alongside the police and US embassy representatives on two occasions — once at police headquarters and once at the ashram.

“Taylor’s family and friends spent many hours at the ashram after the official meeting, collecting her belongings and speaking with Taylor’s teachers, fellow students, and administrators.”

[...]

“We announced the presence of the police to Taylor’s classmates and teachers, inviting anyone who wished to come forward. Many chose to do so, and the ashram ensured everyone to feel free to express themselves.

[...]

“The areas surrounding our yoga retreat center are private property,” it said.

“We conducted an immediate search of our grounds the day Taylor went missing, and only the Bahamian police can provide information about their search of the surrounding private properties.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JUL 8, 2024

https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/missing-taylor-caseys-mom-suspects-discrimination-bahamas-investigation/

Casey’s mother, Colette Seymore, fears the case isn’t being handled respectfully and that her daughter is being discriminated against.

“My idea really saddens me when I think about it,” Seymore said during a Monday appearance on “Banfield.” “I feel like my child had two strikes against her when she went to the yoga retreat. One is that she’s Black, and the other is that she’s transgender.”

 

[branmuffin]

There is something weird about this place. Whenever I want to investigate a hotel or resort I check reviews. I never start with the 4 and 5 star reviews but the 1 and 2 stars and oh, boy, when you check those reviews for this ashram they are unsettling. So many people refer to the place as a cult where they expect people to be subservient to the teachers, etc. Most of the workers don't get paid because they are working to attain their yoga teaching certificate. They are overworked and tired and don't care about the paying customers. Attendees pay to get special training from specific visitors and most of the sessions is like a promotion to get you to buy their oil or whatever else they are hawking and very little education or training or just a rushed one in the last ten minutes of the session. And this isn't new it's been going on for years, apparently.

I get the impression that those who give glowing reports on this retreat have probably never really been to an authentic retreat (neither have I) and they seem to presume that the hardships they endure for 400 and 600 buck a night is some kind of test of their mettle and commitment to the philosophy when in reality it sounds like the place is a scam milking you for all you're worth. There is no area where the retreat takes ownership or responsibility for anything that happens on the retreat grounds. They don't deny anything just shift the inquiry over to LE. Everything is at your own risk, there are no refunds not even when someone leaves after being injured doing a yoga class. The place looks good on the brochures but according to many the place is worn out, moldy rooms, cockroaches, threadbare towels, the food is subpar and does not reflect the offerings in the brochures, just a repetitive list of cabbage, carrots and white rice, what fruit is offered is overripe and mushy which sounds suspiciously like what might get thrown out at the Atlantis down the beach . All of the complaints are responded by rote: sorry you had a bummer of a stay, please call and contact our management, yet the irony of that response is the people in the reviews have complained repeatedly by calling, emailing, texting repeatedly the ashram to no avail. It just sounds so weird. You'd almost think it was a front for something. They are raking in big bucks but beyond the gorgeous grounds (which most visitors agree on 100%) there is no attempt to maintain the place. Where does the money go?

 

[Boots38]

Where are you seeing this? I think it's baking soda in a baggie for toothpaste since there's a toothbrush nearby. But I don't see a pipe or a lighter anywhere

In my experience baking soda isn't chunky in appearance. Yes I see what appears to be a lighter and pipe. If it appears to be drugs and drug paraphernalia to me at a glance I believe that someone with bad intentions could have easily caused her harm with the assumption that she had drugs to steal. I'm not saying she had or used drugs all I'm saying is someone dangerous or a desperate addict could have targeted her believing she did use drugs and carried them on her, attacking her while she's was away from tent intending to rob her only to learn what they wanted wasn't on her or in her purse. Robbery gone bad or horribly wrong. All my opinion of course.. all it takes is the wrong kind of person to be incorrect about what she had in her tent area and target her. We've seen and heard of people killed for less or dumber reasons. MOO

 

[branmuffin]

JUL 8, 2024

https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/missing-taylor-caseys-mom-suspects-discrimination-bahamas-investigation/

Casey’s mother, Colette Seymore, fears the case isn’t being handled respectfully and that her daughter is being discriminated against.

“My idea really saddens me when I think about it,” Seymore said during a Monday appearance on “Banfield.” “I feel like my child had two strikes against her when she went to the yoga retreat. One is that she’s Black, and the other is that she’s transgender.”

Considering the racial demographic of the Bahamas is 85% black I don't see her being discriminated that way. The transgender thing is a whole different ballgame. The largest religious denomination in the Bahamas is Baptists at 35%. According to Wiki, "Many Bahamians adhere to socially conservative Christian denominations, which generally promote the belief that homosexuality and cross dressing are signs of decadence and immorality. Politicians have been leery of publicly supporting LGBT-rights legislation".

Earlier I stated that I believe Taylor constantly carried her passport on her person because she may have a passport that contradicts the gender she presents. I wish her mother would provide more personal details about her life in terms of intimate relationships (if any) with someone who knew she's transgender. I'd also like to know whether Taylor met someone when she was in Bahamas in February. I find it strange that it took a while for her mother to release that information.

At this point in time, I don't know whether Taylor met foul play or whether she slipped away taking the bare minimum with her. It just seems so cruel to do that to her mother.