Found Deceased TN - Tamia Taylor, 21, met friend at 11:30pm and got on a riverboat, when riverboat docked she was missing, Memphis, 9 Sep 2023

[bombardier]

And again, it’s her 21st birthday & they all leave without the birthday girl & I cannot fathom it!!! Nothing the friend has said (That’s been reported) makes any sense about what happened that night - MOO

I'll be devil's advocate for a second and say that, if they did indeed search the boat after she didn't come back, I can see them all getting pushed to leave by employees once the boat docked and not having enough to raise the alarm directly to an employee while still on the boat. Putting myself in their shoes, I can see it being possible that a drunk friend left the boat on their own steam and I would find them on the dock.

I think we're getting messy, convoluted stories because
1. They are coming from quoting people directly, not all coming from set-in-stone police statements
2. Friends and other witnesses were likely very drunk and having trouble remembering exact details
3. Drunk person logic is very different than sober logic and things that may have seemed valid at the time seem suspicious in retrospect

 

[TravelingBug]

And again, it’s her 21st birthday & they all leave without the birthday girl & I cannot fathom it!!! Nothing the friend has said (That’s been reported) makes any sense about what happened that night - MOO

It's her 21st birthday. I'd think she'd have some pics on her phone or posted to SM from the night (as I'd imagine her friends would also if they took her out to celebrate) to celebrate a typically considered noteworthy birthday.

How are there not a number of pics from the boat out there which would seemingly at least confirm some bits of this?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

And again, it’s her 21st birthday & they all leave without the birthday girl & I cannot fathom it!!! Nothing the friend has said (That’s been reported) makes any sense about what happened that night - MOO

In the Action News link shared upthread, one of the friends is quoted saying at 1.45am they called the police and Tamia’s family.

Assuming that’s correct, I don’t see what else they could have done. As @OldCop pointed out, typically the weekend early hours are crazy busy for LE and I can’t imagine that call would have been a priority - can’t find a friend after a drunken night out…

Tragically, I think the fatal mix of intoxication and water played an all too familiar part here. I can see Tamia feeling sick and looking for a quiet spot. That boat looks rickety as heck to me and the railings would not prevent someone going over IMO. The only thing I find odd, is that I’m not sure there would be many quiet spots and it’s surprising no one saw it happen.

 

[Rosiebones]

In the Action News link shared upthread, one of the friends is quoted saying at 1.45am they called the police and Tamia’s family.

Assuming that’s correct, I don’t see what else they could have done. As @OldCop pointed out, typically the weekend early hours are crazy busy for LE and I can’t imagine that call would have been a priority - can’t find a friend after a drunken night out…

Tragically, I think the fatal mix of intoxication and water played an all too familiar part here. I can see Tamia feeling sick and looking for a quiet spot. That boat looks rickety as heck to me and the railings would not prevent someone going over IMO. The only thing I find odd, is that I’m not sure there would be many quiet spots and it’s surprising no one saw it happen.

I agree, and if the picture of the boat up thread is accurate, I don,t see any straight down into the water drops. There is a ledge below each level she would have had to jump out over, I don't seen how she could have fallen out of the first level level as it seems enclosed . MOO MOO MOO

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/EKAMM1/tour-cruise-on-the-mississippithe-memphis-riverfront-island-queen-EKAMM1.jpg

 

[CuriousCricket]

I agree, and if the picture of the boat up thread is accurate, I don,t see any straight down into the water drops. There is a ledge below each level she would have had to jump out over, I don't seen how she could have fallen out of the first level level as it seems enclosed . MOO MOO MOO

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/EKAMM1/tour-cruise-on-the-mississippithe-memphis-riverfront-island-queen-EKAMM1.jpg

A few posts above, the difference in Drunk Logic and Sober Logic is mentioned. So, does anyone with drunk person logic knowledge and extremely fastidious personality know IF it is possible she realized she could not get to the bathroom in time, but wasn't willing to vomit onto the ledge -- Is it possible she would have climbed over the railing to get to the edge to throw up into the water? Would that be logical in a drunken state? And as importantly, would it have been possible physically for her?

Also, we can't see the back of the boat. The steps there MAY be outside and possibly a straight drop to the water. However, this company has likely been running this midnight booze cruise for awhile and is aware of all the hazards. Surely, everything has been made as safe as possible. I wonder how thorough the friends' search really could have been? What state were they in at the time?

 

[Rosiebones]

I guess that she could have come down the stairs to the first level and have gone overboard at the bottom, but how no one saw her is a real mystery. I wonder how many staff were on board.

 

[vls12345]

Also, if she fell off the boat, could the fact that it was night contributed to nobody seeing it? How dark was it? What type of lighting is on the boat when docking? What lights are at the dock and on at 1:30am? How was moonlight that night?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Also, if she fell off the boat, could the fact that it was night contributed to nobody seeing it? How dark was it? What type of lighting is on the boat when docking? What lights are at the dock and on at 1:30am? How was moonlight that night?

I think the water and around the boat would have been very dark. Also, it would have been really noisy onboard with the R and B etc playing full pelt.

 

[cujenn81]

According to a Yelp! review, the Island Queen has 3 levels. It has a fully enclosed 1st floor with tables and chairs (although, I think they probably remove most of the tables for the midnight booze cruise to create a dance floor), an open but covered 2nd floor, and an open and uncovered 3rd/top floor. The review also mentioned a huge spiral ramp walkway they had to walk up/down to get to/from the boat and the golf cart taxis. The ramp looked similar to those you might see in a large, multilevel parking garage or the spiral walkways at some large sports arenas. IME, these ramps are often poorly lit and wouldn't be safe for an intoxicated person to traverse alone in the wee hours of the morning.

Another reviewer who bought tickets for the midnight booze cruise on this riverboat said she decided to turn around and not go on the trip after seeing the wall-to-wall people packed on there. I live in Myrtle Beach and we have similar booze cruises in nearby Murrells Inlet. The boats look very similar and they dock in a very popular and crowded area known as the Marsh Walk with tons of restaurants and bars, so I've seen these cruises depart and return countless times. The people are often packed in there like sardines, and the boat only has one tiny, single-stall bathroom. I looked at pictures of the Island Queen on Google images and this is where I think the bathroom has to be (based on the friend's story that the bathroom was upstairs -- which also coincides with where the bathroom is located on the booze cruises here):


direct link to original picture

If I'm not mistaken, everyone probably exits from the rear. I'm not sure how/why she would be missed if she were in the bathroom when the boat docked.

Also, the booze cruises here only travel a very short distance. They essentially circle around a small island a few times and then return. From the reviews on TripAdvisor, it sounds like this boat traveled to a bridge and back. If Tamia went overboard, I feel like they would have found her by now.

All of this is just speculation and spit balling on my part, but I'm very worried about this young girl.

 

[CuriousCricket]

Also, if she fell off the boat, could the fact that it was night contributed to nobody seeing it? How dark was it? What type of lighting is on the boat when docking? What lights are at the dock and on at 1:30am? How was moonlight that night?

All good points. Then there's that million to one happening - a staff member helps another guest, turns head at wrong moment, or goes to bathroom at the exact time a guest does go overboard.

 

[CuriousCricket]

According to a Yelp! review, the Island Queen has 3 levels. It has a fully enclosed 1st floor with tables and chairs (although, I think they probably remove most of the tables for the midnight booze cruise to create a dance floor), an open but covered 2nd floor, and an open and uncovered 3rd/top floor. The review also mentioned a huge spiral ramp walkway they had to walk up/down to get to/from the boat and the golf cart taxis. The ramp looked similar to those you might see in a large, multilevel parking garage or the spiral walkways at some large sports arenas. IME, these ramps are often poorly lit and wouldn't be safe for an intoxicated person to traverse alone in the wee hours of the morning.

Another reviewer who bought tickets for the midnight booze cruise on this riverboat said she decided to turn around and not go on the trip after seeing the wall-to-wall people packed on there. I live in Myrtle Beach and we have similar booze cruises in nearby Murrells Inlet. The boats look very similar and they dock in a very popular and crowded area known as the Marsh Walk with tons of restaurants and bars, so I've seen these cruises depart and return countless times. The people are often packed in there like sardines, and the boat only has one tiny, single-stall bathroom. I looked at pictures of the Island Queen on Google images and this is where I think the bathroom has to be (based on the friend's story that the bathroom was upstairs -- which also coincides with where the bathroom is located on the booze cruises here):

View attachment 447846
direct link to original picture

If I'm not mistaken, everyone probably exits from the rear. I'm not sure how/why she would be missed if she were in the bathroom when the boat docked.

Also, the booze cruises here only travel a very short distance. They essentially circle around a small island a few times and then return. From the reviews on TripAdvisor, it sounds like this boat traveled to a bridge and back. If Tamia went overboard, I feel like they would have found her by now.

All of this is just speculation and spit balling on my part, but I'm very worried about this young girl.

Thanks for that photo. Look closely at those back steps. They look dangerous to me, esp if someone is drinking or anyone on them when the boat is docking and the bow first hits the mooring. That's a good sized jolt. Again, why would she not have been found by now?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Thanks for that photo. Look closely at those back steps. They look dangerous to me, esp if someone is drinking or anyone on them when the boat is docking and the bow first hits the mooring. That's a good sized jolt. Again, why would she not have been found by now?

We had a case here in the UK recently, Nicola Bulley. She wasn’t found by search teams initially, although she had actually been very close to where she was believed to have gone in the water. I’m not surprised Tamia hasnt been found yet.

 

[ifindedout]

How was moonlight that night?

SBM
Waning crescent, under clear skies. So, very little moonlight.

Lunar calendar of September 2023

Moon phases of September 2023. Monthly Moon cycle schedule in September lunar calendar.

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Weather in Memphis, September 10 — World-Weather.info

Detailed Weather Forecast in Memphis, September 10. Temperature, wind, atmospheric pressure, humidity and precipitations. Weather Forecast for 20000 cities

world-weather.info

 

[Kudzuu]

I'm Cajun French (Louisiana) and this is a wedding ritual where people wanting to dance with the bride or groom will pin money. I've never seen it done for one’s birthday.

My wife is black and from NOLA. They pin dollar bills on your clothes for your birthday.

 

[ms_writer]

My wife is black and from NOLA. They pin dollar bills on your clothes for your birthday.

Yes, I live in Mississippi around 50 miles from NOLA and both black and white people get money pinned on their shirt for their birthday. That's exactly what I pictured when the man gave money for her drink.

 

[Inthedetails]

Yes, I live in Mississippi around 50 miles from NOLA and both black and white people get money pinned on their shirt for their birthday. That's exactly what I pictured when the man gave money for her drink.

I've never heard of pinning, but it's not uncommon for even a random stranger to buy a drink or treat for someone celebrating. In my experience, that is not a regional thing but a fun thing to do in many areas.

jmo

 

[SophieRose]

Another reviewer who bought tickets for the midnight booze cruise on this riverboat said she decided to turn around and not go on the trip after seeing the wall-to-wall people packed on there. I live in Myrtle Beach and we have similar booze cruises in nearby Murrells Inlet. The boats look very similar and they dock in a very popular and crowded area known as the Marsh Walk with tons of restaurants and bars, so I've seen these cruises depart and return countless times. The people are often packed in there like sardines, and the boat only has one tiny, single-stall bathroom. I looked at pictures of the Island Queen on Google images and this is where I think the bathroom has to be (based on the friend's story that the bathroom was upstairs -- which also coincides with where the bathroom is located on the booze cruises here):

View attachment 447846
direct link to original picture

That's actually the stairwell going to the next deck not the bathroom.

 

[thebigcookie]

I’ve lived in Memphis most of my life and I remember riding on that Island Queen boat once, but it was on a field trip when I was I. 2nd grade back in 1999 so my memory of it is kind of fuzzy. I actually found a picture of me on it. I’m on the second floor looking over the water. I’ve edited out my face for privacy reasons. It does look like an easy fall.

 

[charminglane]

There have been no reports of anyone in the bathroom for 15 minutes at the end of the cruise.
Surely there would be attendees who needed to use the restroom before exiting the boat. There would have been a line.
The staff would have remembered this as well, wondering what the hold up was.

 

[louvillian08]

Just looking at this paragraph from the statement Jenkins gave:

He said at some point Tamia walked alone to the bathroom and was gone for more than 15 minutes.”I walked down there to the first floor and I was talking to Canesha and Shanquila and I asked them where is Tamia? They looked and said she was just right here. So we all split it up and searched the whole boat while the boat was moving looking for Tamia."

He says that 'he walked down there to the first floor', walked down from where? Where had he been? The second floor? If so, why didn't he see Tamia pass him on the way to the bathroom?

Then he says he was talking to Canesha and Shanquila and he asks them where Tamia is. He says they looked and said she was just right here. The way the statement is reported it's as if the two women were surprised that Tamia was not still with them. If they did say that, how did they know that Tamia had gone to the bathroom and had been gone for 15 minutes?

Is it possible the group wasn't together when Tamia went to the bathroom? Maybe she and Jenkins went to the 2nd floor, the other two stayed on the first floor - possibly trying to get drinks quicker if there are multiple bars? Tamia has to go to the bathroom, she leaves Jenkins alone, after 15 minutes he realizes she's still not back so he goes down to find the other two and ask if they've seen Tamia. Now it's harder to make sense of them saying she was just there but 1) maybe that was from the heavy drinking - potentially they could have been unaware that Tamia ever went upstairs with Jenkins and thought she'd been there for the last 20 minutes or 2) Tamia did make it back down after the bathroom, briefly met up with them and then disappeared.

I know option 2 doesn't sound likely but IMO, it is for a long night of drinking. Sounds like these cruises are crazy packed so maybe Tamia left the bathroom and couldn't get back to wherever she left Jackson or maybe she forgot how to get back. So she just heads down to find the rest of the group.

I know a few users have pointed out that his statement doesn't mention her leaving her phone but I wonder if that's just related to the context of questions asked or he simply doesn't mention it in this quote. Because he noticeably does not mention trying to call or text her either.