‘We are Deeply Concerned.’ A Chicago Woman Disappeared on a Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas

A Chicago woman visiting the Bahamas on a month-long yoga retreat has gone missing on the island. On Thursday, her phone was found in the water in the area, local officials told CN

Authorities say 41-year-old Taylor Casey was last seen on June 19 in the Paradise Island area, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. 

Local officials shared a missing person flier on June 21, after the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas, the organization behind the retreat, noticed Casey did not attend a morning class on June 20. On its website, the retreat describes itself as a “spiritual center and place offering courses and workshops and yoga vacations.” It’s located in Nassau.

Taylor attended the retreat to “deepen her yoga practice” of ten years, according to her family, but they added that she would never just “disappear.” 

"I believe Taylor is in danger because she was eager to share her yoga retreat experience with

others upon her return," Colette Seymore, Casey’s mother, said in a press release posted on Find Taylor Casey Facebook page.

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas did not respond to TIME’s request for comment, but asked anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to contact local police on its social media page. 

“We are deeply concerned for Taylor’s safety and well-being,” Seymore said. “We love Taylor and want her home.” 

Seymore is traveling to Parade Island and Nassau to coordinate with local authorities, the release says. 

Casey is a Black woman described as 5’10” inches and 145 pounds. A fundraiser to advocate for Casey, obtain a legal team, and support her family going to the Bahamas to search for her has been started online. It has raised nearly $6,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Bahamas has been under a level 2 advisory by the U.S. Department of State since late January. Authorities have asked people to exercise caution due to an increase in violent crime, and a high homicide rate tied to gang-on-gang violence.  

The State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Anyone with information is urged to call the Royal Bahamas Police Force Criminal Investigations Department at 502-9991/2 or Crime stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477).