The Disappearance of Taylor Casey – TRUE CRIME REPORT - Beyond the Crime Scene with Bee Astronaut

Taylor Casey is a Chicago woman who recently went missing while on a yoga retreat in the Bahamas. She was last seen on June 19, 2024, with a lot of mysterious circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Taylor’s family fears that she was targeted and are pleading with the FBI to get involved in searching for her.

Taylor Casey is a 41-year-old youth program director from Chicago, Illinois; she is described by loved ones as a loving, caring, and kind person to the people around her.

Taylor was also a big yoga advocate. After practicing for almost 15 years, she planned to get a yoga teaching certification by attending classes hosted by the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, which is a well known retreat in Nassua, Bahamas. This retreat is located on the same island as the popular Atlantis Resort, but on the western edge of the island and is only accessible by boat or walking down a long, remote beach. The retreat offers a variety of room styles to stay in, with Taylor opting to stay in one of the hut-style rooms.

Although located right on the beautiful beach, the retreat staff urged attendees not to leave the retreat or walk the beach alone because it was very dangerous. In January 2024, the United States issued a Level 2 travel advisory to the Bahamas due to the rising crime on the island.

Taylor arrived to the retreat on June 3, 2024. In the first few days of the trip, Taylor was regularly updating her family with her activities, appearing very happy and enjoying her stay. On June 18, her mother Colette received a photo of the beach and a text from Taylor saying, “I miss you, mom. I miss you. Look, I’m at the beach.” This was the last time Colette heard from her daughter. In the days that followed, her family became uneasy as they noticed her lack of communication. She was last seen by the other retreat attendees on June 19, 2024.

On June 20, 2024, staff at the retreat reported Taylor missing after she failed to attend the yoga classes for the day. An employee at the retreat contacted her mother asking if she had heard from Taylor, much to Colette’s surprise. Colette quickly contacted her family members to ask if they’d heard from Taylor; fortunately, one of Taylor’s nieces had access to her location, which pinged Taylor’s phone location in the ocean. Horrified, her family quickly made plans to travel to the Bahamas and search for Taylor.

Taylor’s phone was ultimately recovered from the ocean by Bahamian authorities, but her passport has not been found. Although the retreat staff and local authorities said they have put in their best efforts to find Taylor, her family believes otherwise.

Upon arriving at the Sivananda Retreat, Taylor’s family made several unsettling discoveries. The retreat had no missing persons flyers up, and many of the other guests weren’t even aware that an attendee was missing. The retreat staff explained that they didn’t want to scare guests and wanted to respect their privacy, and told Taylor’s family not to approach guests. Although her items appeared untouched, the hut that Taylor was staying in was still open to the public and not blocked off as a possible crime scene. Taylor’s mother Colette further expressed that she felt like Taylor was targeted because she is a black transgender woman.

Authorities in Chicago have now issued a missing persons report for Taylor. The Royal Bahamas Police Force’s chief superintendent and officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigation Department has been put on a “garden leave” following a separate investigation. Taylor’s family has since returned back to Chicago, but have stated that they haven’t heard an updates since returning.

Today, July 11, 2024, is Taylor’s 42nd birthday. She should be enjoying the rest of a peaceful experience and celebrating her upcoming accomplishments. Instead, her whereabouts are unknown and her family is left with an unsettling fear for her on what should be her celebratory day. For any information leading to the whereabouts of Taylor Casey, contact the resources listed in the flyers below.