CNN
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The family of Taylor Casey, a Chicago woman who has been missing in the Bahamas for nearly a month, gathered Thursday to celebrate her birthday and urge authorities to continue searching for her.
“The pain I felt giving birth to you 42 years ago cannot be compared to the pain I feel today when you are out of our lives,” Casey’s mother, Colette Seymour, said during a news conference in downtown Chicago. wls,
“The pain, the hurt (and) the suffering is killing me.”
In June, Casey (then 41 years old) went to the Bahamas to attend a retreat at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force reported she was last seen on the evening of June 19 around Paradise Island, a small resort area off the coast of New Providence, the Bahamas’ most populous island.
Casey’s friends and family described her as “an integral part of Chicago’s transgender community”. News release Which was shared on a social media account dedicated to his disappearance on Wednesday.
“Taylor’s disappearance has sent turmoil through Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community,” the release said.
“Taylor’s family and friends are pleading with elected officials, LGBTQ+ leaders, and the media to highlight her story and put pressure on elected officials to use the federal resources necessary to investigate her disappearance.”
During a Thursday news conference, Chanin Lynn Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance — a “Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ center” in Chicago — said she believes Casey’s identity as a transgender Black woman is hindering the investigation into her disappearance.
“(We have) trans women whose lives are being discarded, who are being thought of as just an idea. And then, here we are — having to put pressure on when it should come as second nature and instinct to do what you feel is right,” Parker said.
“We’re here right now to say, loudly, emphatically and loudly that we reject this. Black women matter (and) … Black trans women matter.”
Casey was first reported missing on June 20 after she failed to show up for morning yoga classes, CNN previously reported.
Family and friends have criticised the way police and the retreat centre have investigated her disappearance.
On Thursday, Seymour discovered that Casey’s disappearance had not been posted at the Royal Bahamas Police Force department or the retreat center.
“How are you going to find my child?” she said. “People have to notice that someone is missing and they never put up posters or anything.”
Authorities said Casey’s cell phone was found in the water on June 24, but it was unclear how far that location was from the Retreat.
“We have conducted a thorough investigation into the matter,” Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings of the Royal Bahamas Police Force said during a news conference at the time of the search. “Our priority is to find Taylor and find her in good health.”
Skippings said police used drones, search and rescue dogs and divers in the investigation.
Amid the investigation into Casey’s disappearance, Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Michael Johnson, in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department, was placed on “garden leave” pending the investigation. According to a statement issued by the police force on July 5.
It is not immediately clear if there is any connection between Johnson’s leave and the case. CNN has contacted the police force for comment.
Casey’s old friend Emily Williams said that she had gone to Bahamas with Casey’s mother to get more information. But when she reached there, she felt that something might be wrong with Casey’s mother in Bahamas. Williams said she knew something was wrong when she arrived on the island.
“We did not find caring detectives that were willing to tell us where our loved one was. They couldn’t keep the details straight, they gave us incorrect information and then they tried to push us out,” Williams said during the news conference, adding that she and Seymour left early because they felt “unsafe.”
“They found the phone, but they only found the phone because Taylor’s niece pinged it and told them the location. They said they sent out scent dogs but found nothing. They said they sent out divers and found nothing. And what have they done since then? We haven’t seen it. They haven’t even reviewed the CCTV footage from the neighboring Atlantis Hotel,” Williams added.
Williams and Seymour say they had to “pressure” those at the ashram to get more information and were not allowed to take photographs or “disturb” guests.
When asked if everyone at the ashram knew about Casey’s disappearance, Williams said that “the colonel overseeing the investigation” told him that “most people, but not everyone” knew about it.
CNN has contacted the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat for comment.
Casey, who has been practicing yoga for 15 years, went to the yoga retreat “to fulfill a long-term goal of deepening her practice. Eager to return to Chicago, she was eager to share her new knowledge and experience with others,” The June 24 release said,
The US State Department issued an order in January. Level 2 travel advice A warning has been issued for Americans traveling to the Bahamas to “exercise increased caution” because of crime.
The advisory states that the majority of crime incidents occur on the islands of Grand Bahama and New Providence. It also states that violent crime, including theft, armed robbery and sexual assault, affects both tourist and non-tourist areas.
Williams told the news conference that the Royal Bahamian Police Force said they would notify Casey’s family and friends by Friday.
“We want an update. It’s been three weeks – we want an update,” he said.
After the news conference A birthday party was held for Casey, Which included balloons, snacks and games.
“It’s your birthday today, and we all want to wish you a happy birthday,” Seymour told his daughter at the start of Thursday’s press conference. “However, it’s not as happy because you’re not with us.”
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