The Unsolved Yoga Retreat Vanishing Of Taylor Casey: Where Did She Go?

Transcript

Hey everyone, just hopping on to let you know that our brand new merch site is officially live. We've got a mix of new and classic designs for all of our shows and sale items are up to 50% off. Plus we have a very spectacular limited edition Halloween collection that's available until October 31st. So, don't miss out on that. Also, 100% of the proceeds support the Higher Hope Foundation. Check it out now at milehire merch.com. [Music] Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much for joining me today and if you're new to the show then welcome. I'm so happy to have you here and make sure to click so that you never miss an upload from me. So guys, today the case that I'm going to be getting into is one that I feel is incredibly important to talk about. And it's one that has gotten almost no coverage sadly. And I have my own theories as to why that is, and it's really frustrating, but um we'll get into that. I'm going to be telling you today about the disappearance of 43-year-old Taylor Casey who went missing from a retreat, a yoga retreat in the Bahamas in June of 2024. And I got to tell you, I get super super super sketchy vibes from this retreat. Uh and that's just my personal opinion, but the way that they have handled things and few other reasons why that we will get into, I think you guys are going to agree with me that something is uh seriously wrong here. Now, I first heard about Taylor Casey's case from my buddy Brian Enton and his amazing coverage on NewsNation, and he's actually going to be popping in here at some point to give you guys sort of his perspective. And I guess the moment I started digging into what happened here, I knew we just had to reach out to her loved ones. And they very graciously agreed to help with the research process on this episode. And they're also going to be joining me in the episode. So you'll be hearing from her mother, Colette, and then also her best friend Emily, who I can't thank enough for speaking with me and allowing me to share her story, for trusting me with her story. I don't take that lightly. and also to come on a show like this uh that's a pretty big platform. I know it can be very overwhelming. So I'm very grateful that they agreed to participate. And with that being said um you guys are the best. So, I don't even feel I need to say this anymore. I used to say it all the time, but whenever we have uh a victim's family members or loved ones, friends on the show, I just ask you guys go the extra mile to really um show your support and be as kind as you possibly can. Um, but before we get into Taylor's case, I first need to thank this week's sponsor Aura, because it's thanks to their support that today I'm able to offer a grant to Taylor's family through the Higher Hope Foundation. If you have been watching my channel for a while now, you know how often I talk about the importance of personal safety, and online safety is a big part of that. Your personal information such as your phone number, your email address, even your home address, can be easily found by data brokers. And they are willing to sell this information to anyone willing to pay for it legally, I should add. Here's an example report. And obviously it's redacted for safety reasons. And it's just crazy. It's filled with information like owned properties and cars and names and addresses of relatives, even possible neighbors. And there are social media links, too. And it freaks me out knowing this could all be out there about anybody and anyone can just buy it. And that's why I started using the sponsor of today's video, Aura. Aura is awesome because they protect your privacy by finding those data brokers that expose your information. And they automatically send opt- out requests to get it taken down. And they handle everything for you which is the best. So you don't have to fill out dozens of forms because who has time for that? Now, there are a lot of other services out there that offer this, too, but none of them offer as many features as Aura does for the same price. And I also really appreciate that if someone does use your data to commit fraud, you are covered with up to $5 million in identity theft insurance. And you can try Aura for free for 14 days at aura.com/kendler. And that's more than enough time to start getting your information removed from these sketchy sites. Big thanks to Aura. And now let's go ahead and get into Taylor's case. So Taylor was born on July 11th of 1982 south of Chicago in Harvey, Illinois. And while there are so many things about Taylor that made her a very special person, I think one of the biggest attributes that really stood out to me was the fact that she really dedicated her life to serving others. She is known for her kind heart, her selflessness, and also her commitment to advocating for and supporting the LGBTQIA plus community, which she herself was a member of. As a black transgender woman, Taylor got deeply involved in activism, and really became a fixture in her Chicago community. For example, she worked at Chicago Freedom School, which offers education and leadership development for young people and adult allies. The school believes in empowering and supporting black and brown youth to become leaders for social justice. And Taylor worked there as a program manager. She also did some work with Howard Brown Health, which provides affirming healthcare and other medical services rooted in LGBTQIA liberation. And Taylor definitely had quite the impact there. She specifically worked with one individual named Zara. And Zara says that Taylor's support really played a huge role in her being able to complete her degree and really just believing in herself. When Zara was 17 Taylor encouraged her to apply for a job at Howard Brown, which she did end up getting. And Zara really attributes Taylor's support to her professional success. And now Zara is actually completing her PhD at Harvard of all places, which is just an incredible example of the impact that Taylor truly had on people's lives. And through Howard Brown to Health, Taylor even got involved in the Broadway Youth Center which is a space for young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Plus, she was also very passionately involved in the Lighthouse Church of Chicago. Now, this church sounds fantastic. It's a predominantly black and LGBTQIA plus church located in Lincoln Park. And there, Taylor was really able to further her relationship with God and get in touch with her spirituality in faith in a safe place. And just like her mom, Taylor really did value her relationship with God. So this had been a really big part of her life. And of course, being Taylor, she often got involved in helping others through the church as a point person on their hospitality team. and she also advocated for homeless LGBTQIA plus youth. And another thing I learned about Taylor is she was really always rooting for everyone around her to succeed and be their best possible selves. For example I was on the phone yesterday with her mom, Colette, and she was telling me how Taylor even encouraged her to have a positive self-esteem. She really cared about lifting other people up and she seemed to be just from what her best friend Emily was telling me, the kind of friend that tells you how it is, isn't going to sugarcoat anything, but isn't going to hurt you in the process, but tells you what you need to hear. And I was telling Emily and she agreed that that's kind of the best type of person to have in your life as a friend, right? Like that is a rare type of person. Taylor just wanted the best for people that she loved and she wasn't afraid to encourage people to sort of look inward for opportunities for growth. And I also loved this. Okay, so her mom, Colette told me that she called Taylor her flower child because she really loved flowers and gardening. And she remembered one time where Taylor just came by and randomly planted some flowers outside of her door as just a way to show her that she loved her and was thinking of her. And I thought that was so unique, so special. I've never heard of anyone doing that. And if someone did that for me, I would just absolutely melt. I love that. And I want to take that idea and do it for someone I love. And then another thing I had to mention, Colette said that Taylor just called her all the time, like all the time. And she would jokingly say, "Don't you have any friends to call?" And of course she did have friends to call. Taylor had a lot of friends, in fact. But she just loved calling her mom. And speaking of friends, her friend Emily who I mentioned earlier, also just had so many amazing things to say about Taylor. The two of them met back in 2008, 2009ish at a housewarming party for another friend and they just hit it off right away. And then that same week kind of almost by fate, the two of them just happened to see each other on a train and Emily ended up booking a appointment with Taylor to uh get her haircut at her hair salon. I haven't mentioned that yet, but Taylor was a super talented hair stylist and it really allowed her to connect with so many people. And through what I've been able to learn about her, she really had a way of connecting with others that made them feel safe and loved. And that's only a fraction of why she was able to foster such strong relationships in her life. Taylor was the pillar of every community that she was in, whether that was through her family, her friends, or her work, and really so much more. She lived a very rich life. And what's also incredibly impressive and I just have to mention is that Taylor was also an Air Force veteran. She joined at 18 right out of high school and served for two and a half years before being honorably discharged due to medical reasons. Yet despite selflessly serving her country, that same country has hardly fought for her. However, luckily Taylor has an amazing support system amazing friends and family who have been fighting non-stop, and they will not stop until that day comes. And here's Colette and Emily to tell you a little bit more about Taylor. >> Okay., My, name, is, Colette, Slow, and, I, am Taylor's mom. And um I really miss Taylor. I really miss Taylor. I need Taylor in my life, but I see that that's not going to happen right now. Anyway yeah, I just miss the love that Taylor gave me. Taylor was just so And not just me, the whole family. Taylor was just so loving and caring and really cared about her family. I remember one time you know, Taylor just came out to my house. Taylor would always bring me flowers and I really appreciated that. But Taylor came out to my house this one day and had a flower in her hand and uh and I'm like, "Oh, what you going to do with that flower?" She said, "Ma, I came out here to plant this flower right on on my side door, you know, in my little dirt by the bushes." And Taylor came out there, came out here and just planted this flower and just said, "This is how much I love you, and this is how much my love grows for you, and I'm planting this f flower." I mean, just literally brought tears to my eyes. And um yeah that's one of my favorite memories that Taylor came out out to my house and Taylor live a little distance from me. You know, it's not a hop, skipping a jump and planted this flower because she loved me so much and just wanted to wanted me to know and not just me and others. It's just how love grows. My name is Williams. Um Taylor is my best friend. Um, a favorite memory that I have of Taylor is when we um were on vacation in Jamaica. We had a beach vacation in Jamaica um a few years ago and every morning we would sit outside for breakfast um and have breakfast. And um there were there was like this litter of kittens that was like on the property of the resort where we were staying. And so, um, Taylor started feeding the kittens and, um, you know, as you can imagine, the the weight staff wasn't thrilled about that because then there were like four or five little cats, um you know, in the breakfast area where everyone was eating, but those cats would come right up to Taylor every time we sat down for a meal because they knew that Taylor was going to feed them. And Taylor did feed them. Um, they got a lot of bacon and they got some eggs. um sweet to see um you know Taylor look for the kittens and then the kittens coming to find Taylor um every time we sat down for a meal. So another really big part of Taylor's life was her passion for yoga and she had been doing it for 15 years and it really became a central part of her identity. It really brought Taylor a lot of peace as I imagine it would after 15 years of practicing yoga. And it's also something that she really encouraged other people in her life to try out. And because she loved sharing it with other people and after being a student in the practice of yoga for so long, she made a goal to become an instructor one day. And she specifically really wanted to bring her teachings home to Chicago to the community and share with others how healing it could really be. And so to achieve this goal, she decided to attend the Sibananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas, which sounds great right now. This retreat, which is offered all over the world, has a variety of programs that center on the five principles of Sibananda yoga. And this practice of yoga has even been described as otherworldly by Gwennneth Paltro's brand, Goop. And the location that she went to in the Bahamas also happens to be where the Atlantis Bahamas Resort is located. Now, you may have seen the commercials for it on TV. I know I have in the past. They have a slide that goes through like an aquarium of sharks. It looks pretty wild, but um this means in addition to the retreat participants there are also thousands of other tourists just staying down there enjoying the Bahamas, uh the beach, and the Atlantis Resort. And the retreat itself is on the western side of the island, which is a lot less trafficked than where Atlantis is, but the distance between them is walkable. And accommodations wise, the Ashram offers a variety of options, everything from deluxe beachfront rooms to private tents. And so Taylor ended up renting a tent space during her time there while participating in the teacher training program. And so in total, Taylor was going to be gone about a month. So pretty big chunk of time. And she was very excited about this for so many different, reasons., since, it, was, going to be a cool experience, but really completing this course was a huge step towards her end goal. And she even told many people that she was very eager to be able to share what she learned when she got back. But I am obviously telling you her story today because Taylor never made it back. On the morning of Wednesday, June 20th, 2024, Taylor did not show up for class. And as the day went on and no one had seen her or heard from her, more and more people at the retreat became concerned. And in fact around 1:00 p.m. that day, Colette back at home got a call from this woman named Hannah from the retreat. And she asked if she had heard from her daughter. And Colette had heard from her, but not on that specific day. And at first, this call of course took her by surprise, but also kind of angered her because Taylor was supposed to be with them. So, of course, when someone is asking her if she knows where her daughter is or has heard from her, it sends her into a panic, as it would for any mother. And to make matters even more frightening Colette remembered that when she spoke to Taylor 2 days prior, something just seemed slightly off. Taylor had previously sent her these pictures of her in the ocean saying, "I miss you Mom. I miss you. Look, I'm at the beach." and she appeared to be happy then. But when it came to her final phone call with her two days prior something in Taylor's voice just wasn't totally right. In that call, Taylor told her, "Mom, this is hard." And Colette didn't interpret that as the classes were hard. It sounded to her like Taylor was saying "I'm having a hard time here." as in her experience with others had been a challenge. Her impression was that Taylor felt ostracized from the group which we can actually confirm. Other guests who were at Ashram at the same time as Taylor have said that she was being separated from the group and reason that they believe that is because of her identity. Because she was a black transgender woman, it's believed that she was not being treated the same as other participants. And of course, I'm not reporting this as fact. This is how it's been interpreted by people who were there and witnessed it themselves. And there's also this video clip of Taylor at the ashram. And her body language tells you everything. She can be seen leading a chant when someone who works there comes up and sits next to her. And you can see that she almost brushes up against Taylor. Well, Taylor can be seen flinching and she looks scared by this woman's touch and her hands are trembling. And without even knowing this at the time, Colette just knew based on Hannah's call that something bad had happened to her daughter. And I also want to point out that she felt like the retreat didn't want to admit that Taylor was missing, but it sounded pretty clear that she was. Now, Taylor was not the kind of person to just not show up for something that she had committed to. And she had been there since June 3rd, so it's not like she forgot where she was supposed to be. Plus, she spent about $4,000 in total to be staying there. So the fact that they couldn't find her was obviously incredibly alarming to her friends and family. And what's also incredibly alarming, maddening frustrating beyond is that even though she didn't show up for her 6 a.m. class the retreat didn't alert the authorities until 9:30 p.m. that night. >> It, was, on, June, 20th, of, 2024 that the Sibananda Yoga Retreat called me. A lady named Hana called me and asked me, uh, have you heard from your child? Have you heard from Taylor? And I just I'm on the phone and then I I knew it was the U Civananda Yoga Retreat because she introduced herself and I'm on the phone and when she asked me "Have you heard from Taylor?" I took the phone away from my end, looked at it like, you know, and I was thinking in my head, "Is this lady crazy?" because Taylor's with them. Cuz that's my thought. I'm thinking, why are you calling me and asking me have I heard from my child when my child's over there in the Bahamas with you? Yeah. She she proceeded to tell me that um Taylor had missed a few classes and they were concerned, you know, and and things of that sort. I said, 'Th that's not like Taylor to Taylor paid all this money to come out to the Bahamas and be learn how to become a a yoga instructor to miss classes. That's just not like Taylor to do that. And she was like, "Well, yeah I know, but she hasn't been to class." I said, "Well, have you reported it?" You know, and then she went on with the 24hour thing, you know, you can't report anybody. And you know, and I told her to get on. She said, "Well, I'm going to go I'm going to go around looking for Taylor, you know, and see if I could say see Taylor and stuff." And I told her you know, do what you got to do and let me know where my child is. I was very upset. My reaction was very angry and very upset and uh what's going on? What the heck is going on? You know, you can't tell me where my child is. Yeah, I was very angry, very angry very sad. And I didn't want to think the worst, you know, at that moment. I just didn't want to think the worst, you know, but um yeah, I was emotions were everywhere. Just everywhere. That was my reaction. >> I, found, out, um, on, social, media, a, mutual friend of uh Taylor's and mine um had posted the missing person's flyer. And when I saw it, I was just in denial. Um I just thought like that can't actually be Taylor. And I messaged our friend and I was like, "You're kidding." And when he responded that no, that Taylor had gone missing, then I called Colette right away to, you know, get more information, start figuring out what do we need to do, how do we get there? And then I also started calling other people in my community and in Taylor's community so that we could start organizing to get the word out that Taylor had gone missing and to put every effort we could um towards finding Tay. Now, just a day after Taylor went missing, the Royal Bahamas Police Force created a missing person's flyer, which if you're watching this episode, you'll see it here on the screen. It didn't provide much information at first, but it did feature Taylor's photo as well as some brief descriptions of her, and it noted that she was last seen on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024, which has been confirmed. Then, a few days later on the 24th, a press release went out providing additional details. And in this release, Taylor was described as a light-skinned black woman approximately 5' 10 in tall, 145 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. She has natural hair often covered by a do-rag. And there was also a quote from Colette on it who said that she believed her daughter was in danger because she knew Taylor was eager to share her retreat experience with others upon her return. And this sentiment is truly shared with everyone who knew her. And I'll let Colette and Emily speak more to this in this episode, but Taylor absolutely, without a doubt, had every intention of returning from the Bahamas. And so pretty much since the moment that her disappearance became known to the public, her community has been demanding answers. But very little was said and has been said since, at least publicly. And at first, the Ministry of Tourism said that there's only so much information they could share since this is an active investigation, but Taylor's loved ones felt like their focus was more on protecting the business of tourism rather than the safety of an actively missing tourist. And I got to say, I could not agree more. Now, as for the US State Department, they've also issued a statement early on saying that they were aware of her disappearance and were working closely with local authorities to carry out a search effort. That being said, Taylor's loved ones have really questioned the effectiveness of these efforts. And like we hear in so many cases, it was actually a family member, not the police, who made the first discovery. Back at home, Taylor's niece had heard about her disappearance, and she decided to look up her location on Find My Friends, and she was able to see that her phone was pinging in the ocean. Now sometimes, of course, if you are on a beach, the location can look like you're actually in the water when you're not. But in this case, the search team did end up recovering her phone off the shore in the water 56 ft deep. Yet nothing was done with it in those first critical days of the investigation. And early on, the Royal Bohemian Police Force basically just said they weren't able to retrieve any data off of it. And yeah, that was pretty much the end of that. Neither Colette or Emily could get anyone to explain who even had the phone or what efforts were being used to retrieve its data. It was incredibly sketchy and they even asked early on if they could have it so that they could be the ones to go ahead and get it processed. Kind of like if you're not going to do anything with it, just let us. But it was never handed over, which is just so weird. I have so many questions there. But a big part of their efforts here to raise awareness on the case have been calling out the lack of investigation into Taylor's phone, which is a crucial piece of information of evidence. And what's really, really crazy and just blew me away when I was talking to her mom is Colette was actually able to download Taylor's call log because she's listed as a manager on her Verizon account, thankfully. and she was able to see that someone had called Taylor three times while she was in the Bahamas. Once on June 5th for 2 minutes another time on June 10th for a minute and then once on June 19th, the day before she didn't show up for her class for 16 minutes. And that last call on the 19th that took place around 10:00 p.m., which again is the last day that anyone made contact with her. And it's believed that she may have gone missing during this time. So figuring out who this caller is could be critical. Yet to our knowledge, we don't know if any efforts have been made to identify this person, if they are identifiable, and whether the authorities aren't looking into her phone for nefarious reasons or just straight up negligence. It can't be ignored how carelessly they have handled it. And there are some updates about that. More on that later. But for now just know that the Bahamian authorities weren't saying much of anything and they have truly stood by their handling of this case. So on June 25th, 2024, Chief Superintendent Skipping said at a press conference that they have quote conducted an extensive investigation into the matter and that their priority was to find Taylor in good health. She also said they've utilized drones search and rescue dogs, divers, and that they are working closely with Taylor's family, as well as reviewing CCTV cameras in the area. The family of Taylor Casey who was reported missing to our agency on Thursday the 20th of June 2024. Since that report was made we have conducted extensive investigation into the matter. This afternoon, we updated the family of Taylor as to where we are in the investigation. We have a very, very good relationship. They're very, very pleased with the investigations thus far. We used our drone technology. We used our K9. We've used our divers. We've used a number of resources. And so our investigation continues into this matter. >> The, thing, is, though,, the, statements, in that press conference really don't actually at all reflect the way her family feels. And despite the authorities physically finding her phone, Taylor's loved ones feel like they can't trust any of the efforts that have actually been made. at least not to the extent that they're claiming. For starters, Colette and Emily actually flew out to the Bahamas on June 26th which was a little less than a week after Taylor had not showed up for class. And the moment that they got off the plane, they felt like they were being treated as criminals. They gave Colette a super hard time about Emily even being there, asking her if she needed her there. Why is she there? and they just made it very clear that they were not happy with Emily at all, which really didn't surprise me to hear because it sounds like Emily was the one who was asking all the hard questions. Um, really pushing them and asking questions it sounded like they just did not want to answer, couldn't answer weren't prepared to answer, freaked out by, you know, and that's just my interpretation of how it was explained to me. and they were absolutely shocked to see that Taylor's missing person's poster was nowhere to be found. It wasn't hanging up at the ashram. It wasn't hanging up at the police station. I mean, that is so wildly disappointing because that is obviously the easiest and most basic way that you can make effort in a missing person's case right? And even something as small as that hadn't been done. I've also learned that the review of any possible surveillance footage wasn't done to the degree that the authorities claimed it was. For one, it doesn't appear like the ashram had surveillance cameras of their own, which my god is a whole other problem in and of itself, but the Atlantis resort luckily did. Apparently though, it was Atlantis's security team who reviewed their footage, not the Bahamian authorities. Another discrepancy had to do with the scope of the physical search itself. The chief superintendent has said that their search was extensive, claiming that the entire island and surrounding area was searched. Yet, loved ones say they were informed that only the area between the ashram and Atlantis resort was canvased which is about a 15-minute walk. Now that is a huge difference. And they also claimed that one of their scent dogs tracked Taylor's scent down by the water, which is where the scent was lost. But even if that's true, that doesn't tell us anything other than that she was down at the beach, which we already know. I mean, she's staying in the Bahamas. We've seen that picture she sent to her mom. We know that she had been to the beach a lot during her time there. Plus, Emily and Colette have said that they were told that her scent had actually been picked up by the tree line, which was 50 to 60 ft away from the water, which is not the same thing. It's things like this that have, you know, understandably made Taylor's loved ones feel like they can't trust the word of those in charge of this investigation, which in my opinion is incredibly valid, especially when you hear this. In early July, Michael Johnson, who was the chief superintendent of the criminal investigation department, ended up being suspended because it came out that he had quote concerning voice notes circling on social media. Now, at first the authorities of course wouldn't comment on the contents of those voice notes, but they did say that it quote raised questions about the integrity of the police department. Well, holy It came out later in August of 2024 that these voice notes had to do with him dropping an investigation into a prominent gang leader. And while they are denying that this impacts Taylor's case, this definitely has an impact even if indirectly, because it shows what kind of leadership was running the same unit that is investigating Taylor's disappearance. And Colette has said that if he can be corrupt and take bribes into dropping criminal cases, it worries her about how he treated her child's case. And if you want to hear something truly crazy, get this. The man who leaked those voice notes, well, his name is Silven's Matear and he was shot on Facebook Live while quote making disparaging comments against the senior branch of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. This man was literally shot on a live stream, mind you, he has done other Facebook lives talking about Taylor and her disappearance. Now, I'm happy to say he did survive this shooting. And of course, I cannot say that this had anything to do with the Bahamian police. Let me be clear. There is no evidence of that, but you can't tell me that this is not really suspicious. I mean, the timing of that is absurd. Anyways though, they should also mention that Emily and Colette's anger and frustration isn't just with the authorities. It's also with the retreat itself. The Ashram also made claims and did things that didn't sit right with them. And I'll let them speak to this in a minute, but when they got there, the woman who had initially called Colette Hannah, whoever this Hannah person is was teaching a class and didn't stop to speak with them, which is bizarre. And that made Colette feel that the class was more important than her missing child. Plus, like I mentioned, they didn't even have her missing poster hung up at their retreat. Now, before their arrival, the Ashram did release a statement on the 25th, and it reads, "A participant from our yoga certification program, Taylor Casey, is missing on June 20th. We've requested the police investigate and informed the US embassy and Miss Casey's family. Miss Casey's disappearance was discovered on June 20th when she did not attend morning class. She was last seen at the retreat late on the evening of June 19th. We urge anyone with information on Miss Casey's whereabouts to contact the local police immediately. The ashram is working with the authorities in their investigation. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. So, while they did alert the local authorities, the US embassy, and Taylor's family within a timely manner, alerting people to her disappearance is obviously the first step and really the bare minimum. Everything after that fell completely short of how you would expect a retreat to act after one of their very own participants vanished from their property. When Colette and Emily were there, they could hardly get people to speak with them about Taylor. And they felt like the people who they did speak with had very rehearsed answers. And what's interesting is there were two people who have been noted as having been closest to Taylor while she was on the retreat. And that would be the Hannah woman who originally called Colette and also the man whose tent was next to Taylor's. And yet, guess which two people wouldn't speak with Colette and Emily? H, those two. And what's really bizarre is according to Colette and Emily, while they were going around trying to speak with guests, some of the swamies, which was a new word to me, but I guess from my very basic understanding, they're like spiritual masters at the retreat at the highest level. Um, but they would go up and pull guests away from them. That's allegedly that's according to Colette and Emily. And it wasn't just the Swamies. Other Ashram staff would do it too. But they really felt like those that they were trying to talk to were being prevented from saying anything. And on top of that, it really became clear to them that some guests still had no idea that anyone was missing. Take a look at this comment that was left on the Fine Taylor Casey Facebook page. It says, "I just left Zivananda today due to this situation and how they're handling it. kept it a secret from guests for almost a week when there is potentially a security concern. I spoke with the boat operator on my way out and he said that she did not leave or return via boat. The only other way around the island is walking down the beach side. They advise guests not to walk on the beach or leave the ashram after dark as it may be dangerous. But there are no security measures in place to prevent it or prevent people from walking into the ashram. And many people do go for beach walks at night or venture off the property to Atlantis or elsewhere. And that wasn't the only person who left. And really bottom line here, and I think we can all agree, is every single person at the retreat should have been made aware of this right away. And they should have been able to freely speak with Colette and Emily. The vibes there they're just really off. And believe me I've got more to say on that. Um, but almost everything about their visit was off-putting. And to make things worse it was very obvious to them that Taylor's tent had not been fully processed by the authorities. So many of her belongings were still there, and they hadn't taken fingerprints or secured the tent from any potential evidence tampering. And inside her tent they found her course training book, her Bible, her sketch pad, clothing, shoes and more. And all of those are items that suggest Taylor never intended to disappear. I also wanted to mention that Taylor's journal was already in the possession of the police. And what's also really frustrating is the Ashram released a statement on their Facebook page that painted a much much different picture about Colette and Emily's experience there. They claimed in part "The Sivvenanda Ashram and our community are all distraught over Taylor's disappearance, and our collective hearts go out to her family and friends." 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. The police advised us that while we can encourage our community members to speak with them, the decision must be voluntary. 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. Any perceived hesitancy observed in individuals was likely influenced by the unique and deeply personal ways they were processing their emotions during this challenging time. At the end of the afternoon, Taylor's mother and friends expressed gratitude for our support. But what this statement is suggesting though is that everyone was aware of what was going on. But we know that that is not true. The whole statement just reads very uh we did our part and it's not our fault if people chose not to talk didn't want to come forward. That's not our problem. And what it also tells us is that authorities were not and are not doing everything in their power to find her like they claim. All in all, Colette and Emily described their three-day visit to the Bahamas as unsettling, and they even left early because they felt unsafe. And luckily, we had them here to explain how that was for themselves. So when we got there to the Bahamas, I'm just really saddened and griefstricken on the plane, just flying there, just knowing I was going to the place where my child was missing at just made me extremely sad and angry. So when we got there, they they had signs talking about welcome, Colette, you know, and and I I wasn't happy about that. I'm like, don't be I'm thinking in my head, don't be welcoming me and my child. Just where's my child? Welcome me with my child. That's what you can do is welcome me with my child. So I'm bitter and I'm angry. Yeah. And then they took us, you know, they had people meet us and they took us to this room to the police in the police station, the Royal Bahamas Police Force. They took us in this room and it was like 13 people already in there. They took our phones. They took our phones. Wouldn't let us have our phones, you know, had us turn our phones off and they took them on. They really wanted me in there by myself. But I said, "No, I'm not going in there by myself." You know, the people I had with me, Emily and Anna and Ash, I said, "No we're all going in here together." You know, so yeah. And it just upset me. How do you want me in a room? I'm I'm grieving here terribly and you want to bring me into the room with 13 people. Why do you have 13 people and you only want it to be me? So So I'm just I'm just angry in the beginning from that. And I look at there the wall with the missing people. My child wasn't up there. Not a flyer of my child. I'm seeing all these other people missing. But anyway, they took us in there. They got a shock. You know, I guess they thought they was going to shock me me or whatever. But Emily Williams, oh my god she she was just fantastic in that room. I thank God that she was with me and Anna and Ash to ask the questions because I'm I'm grieving here, you know. I really wasn't knowing what to say and I'm angry. I didn't want to say the things that I had on my mind to say because I'm angry about my child coming over here for a yoga retreat and and missing. So, yeah, it wasn't a good experience. It wasn't a good I didn't get good vibes from them. Yeah. And then then the questions when Emily was asking them, you know, they really couldn't answer them, you know, they would to me they were just sitting there looking dumbfounded to me. Just dumb, you know tell me what's going on with my child. They wouldn't give me my child's phone. So, the experience was not great at all. I just felt so like they didn't care. I just absolutely felt like they didn't care about my child being missing. Yeah. So, yeah, I was distraught. I was just I'm just so thankful for the team I had. Go with me. Go with me. >> Yeah., As, soon, as, um, we, got, there,, things felt totally off. And I knew that going there, it wasn't obviously wasn't going to feel good. But when we got there, you know, it felt much more like a performance than an actual briefing of an ongoing investigation. As Colette mentioned, they took our phones. They wouldn't let us bring our phones into the room where they were you know, giving us their update. We turned our phones off when we gave them to gave it to them. When we got them back, they were turned on. There were at some point TV cameras in that room where they were giving us an update. There were, you know, more than 10 of them. There were, you know, four of us. Also people from the ashram were there and they couldn't give us a conclusive update. You know, they couldn't keep details straight. They, you know, gave us misinformation. For example, making it seem like one could not walk from the ashram to the Atlantis, which is absolutely not true. We found out later that people staying at the ashram often walk to the Atlantis, some of them multiple times a day. And they tried to paint a picture of Taylor that we know is not true. You know, that Taylor left of her own vition, that Taylor somehow harmed herself, you know, and we know that that's not true. You know, Taylor wanted to be at the um teacher training and Taylor is not the kind of person who would who would hurt herself. and she was not in a mental state where she would have hurt herself when she left um the United States. You know, I think that they could not give us a conclusive update and then also concrete next steps for me was a huge red flag. And then also their inconsistencies and that they couldn't keep their own details straight was also a red flag that if there's an investigation happening, it's not a very good one. And it seems as though there's um something else happening behind the scenes that we weren't aware of. Um but that would have prevented them from actually doing some of the basic things that one would do in an investigation in a good faith investigation to find a missing person. You know, we've also mentioned this that there was no fingerprints done of Taylor's tent, for example, that there were not missing person's flyers put up, you know, at the police station or at the ashroom, that every single guest wasn't even made aware that Taylor had gone missing. you know, those are critical pieces of information that they could have gathered right away that they didn't and then somehow seemed to not admit that those were were big failures on their part to actually gather information. And then when we were also at the Bahamas and when the police had gone with us to the ashram, there was such pressure on us not to disrupt the guests, not to disrupt people's vacations. And it's like if you're prioritizing people's vacations over gathering the information that could help you find Taylor, our loved one, you're not doing a thorough investigation. And and that was clear. It was clear what their priority was. And so those are the things that that really raised questions about whether or not an investigation was actually happening and if one was happening, how thorough it actually was. Now, their feelings about the retreat are extremely valid in my opinion, and I think you guys will agree that something is seriously wrong with this whole realm. When I was on the phone with Emily and Colette, they were telling me about this article and it's written by a journalist at BBC. Her name is Ishene Carr and she talks about how she was once a yoga teacher, part of the global movement. And in 2019, she came across a Facebook post from this woman named Julie who also was devoted to the program. And in this post, Julie shared that she had been sexually abused over a period of 3 years by the SANA's founder Swami Vishnu Deanandanda. And also several women have accused him of rape and sexual coercion. And these things took place at the ashram and retreats. And in Julie's case, she said it took her decades to come forward only for them to attempt to silence her. And so in reading this Ishling decided to investigate further. And she found a long-standing pattern of sexual abuse and cover-ups within the Sivananda yoga movement. And through this investigation, Ishling interviewed 14 women who alleged that they were abused by senior Sivananda teachers. Now, the founder did pass away in 1993 so he's not allegedly hurting anyone anymore. But this clearly went beyond him, and this wasn't exclusive to the '9s. In fact, she found participants that alleged they were abused as recently as 2019. And you have to remember, this is just the handful of people that have come forward. And oftent times, a small percentage of people who have been affected have actually come forward um out of fear. And there are 14 of them who have come forward. So, you have to think there's likely many more. And just to be clear I am only reporting what is alleged. Uh no one has been found guilty in a court of law. But overall, Ishene found that there was an abuse of power in these spiritual communities and a clear attempt at these acts being covered up. And she gives some really powerful examples. So, I'm going to link it in the show notes for you guys. But the bottom line is we can't ignore that Taylor disappeared from a retreat who has a documented history of alleged abuse and alleged covering up of abuse. In fact, a man named Wesley Bell went missing from the same retreat Taylor disappeared from in 2013. And sources say that he walked off to go snorkeling and just never returned. And because his shirt and shoes were found the next day the authorities declared that he had drowned. But this has understandably caught the attention of many. Why isn't this place keeping their guests safe? What is going on here? It's really alarming that they don't have security cameras when they should have absolutely been installed the moment after Wesley disappeared. And if they had taken that extra measure, put in security cameras it's possible we would already know what happened to Taylor. And I just find their lack of security measures so concerning for so many reasons. And in the beginning of the episode, I mentioned Brian Enton and how he went there himself and his experience really speaks to the retreat's priorities. While Brian was walking around talking to people, asking questions, trying to get some answers here, the retreat asked him not to come back. And Brian also mentioned in his coverage that a guest had told him they were not to leave the ashram at night because walking on the beach isn't safe. And he also discovered that some of them had no clue Taylor was even missing, which isn't even a shock at this point. But people were actively leaving at that point because they felt that the retreat wasn't aligning with themselves and the values that they preach. There was no prayer circle meditation, or anything to do with recognizing Taylor's disappearance which in my opinion, when I think of a yoga retreat. I'm thinking of love and uh community support, peace, like prayer circle, that type of thing. Group healing, group meditation. Why would they not all be coming together when one of their own has disappeared? That is just so alarming to me and so off-brand for a yoga retreat. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm just like, what the hell is going on there? And then Brian also kindly agreed to film a clip for you guys talking about his experience there and sort of his thoughts on all of this. And I'm going to, play, that, for, you, now. >> Hey,, Kendall., So,, the, case, of, Taylor, uh Casey uh is just so troubling. Uh when I went to the Bahamas, something just didn't seem right. Uh the um the police they were giving uh Taylor Casey's family the runaround, it seemed like. And when I went out to the ashram uh where she was staying, they also didn't want to talk to me. It's not easy to get to the Sivanandra ashram, the yoga retreat, where Taylor Casey was staying. There's really no roads to get there here on Paradise Island on this part of the island. So, the only way that we could find is to walk down the beach. So, we made it to the ashram uh where she was staying. You can see it's it's pretty quiet right now, but there are people still staying here. There's some smaller buildings on this side. There's uh larger buildings over here and it's very very close to the Atlantis Resort. Those big pink buildings in the distance. That's a big big tourism destination here on Paradise Island. >> But, I'm, not, seeing, anybody, searching, on the beach. >> Yeah,, there, is, nobody, searching., No,, I haven't seen anybody searching either. That's why I was surprised you didn't like say I was thinking there'd be like flyers. >> Oh,, well,, you, can, go, in, there. >> Hi., Do, you, know, any, have, anything, new about the missing woman, Taylor Casey? >> No., No,, nothing. >> Okay. >> I, heard, nothing., So,, you, won't, have, get any information from us this evening? >> C. >> Can, I, leave, my, card?, Is, that, okay?, My business card. >> Yeah. >> So,, I, met, up, Kendall, uh, with, Taylor's mom and her best friend Emily in the Bahamas. You can imagine like how upset they have been through this entire ordeal. And they say that they were especially troubled that Taylor's phone was found underwater. When they told me Taylor was missing, I called my family of course. And my granddaughter, she loves her family, too. She likes to keep all of us on location on her phone. And she pinged the phone and said, "Grandma T, you know, Auntie Taylor's phone is in the water." And my Yeah, I was just That just really was the clincher for me. So scared. So scared. I'm still I need to know. I need answers. I need Taylor home. We need Taylor. We please, please, >> please., It,, please., I, just, Yeah. >> The, phone, has, really, been, an, issue because uh Taylor's family has been trying to get their hands on it and says law enforcement won't hand it over. They still haven't been able to independently analyze it themselves. Uh, and they say even to this day, they're still getting the runaround from the police in the Bahamas. >> Thank, you,, Brian., Brian, is, one, of, the best out there, you guys. I will have all of Brian's social media and his show and ways that you can connect with Brian linked in the show notes of this episode. But another big piece to all of this that I need to point out is the only way off of the island is by boat or plane, right? And we know that she didn't get on a plane. And we also know from the boat operator, as I mentioned earlier, that Taylor didn't leave via boat, which all of that means that Taylor hasn't left the island. But that is one of the theories that Emily and Colette feel have really been pushed on them about Taylor, that she maybe ran off, that she left the island, went somewhere else, or maybe she took efforts to harm herself, which is so offensive to them. But yeah, pretty much, you know, they're going to push anything else except for the idea that something nefarious actually may have happened to her. But they absolutely without a doubt, believe that someone did something to Taylor. And the very fact that her passport has never been located really speaks to this. I mean we know that her passport hasn't been used, so we know that she didn't flee. So, that theory doesn't make any sense at all. We also know that her phone was in the water, which in my opinion, I think someone else chucked it out there. Um, but that has been used to suggest that Taylor intentionally wanted to harm herself, which in what world does someone take their passport with them into the water if they are trying to end their life that way or if they're just going out into the water and they drowned? You're not going to take your passport into the ocean. Okay? Absolutely not. Um, but your phone also. Who's going to take their phone out there for any reason? In my eyes, it proves even more so that something nefarious has actually happened here and the phone was chucked out there in an effort to conceal the crime. And the passport was taken to kind of set the stage that Taylor left. And here's something else. When Emily and Colette were at the ashram trying to speak with the guests, one of them started to share this story about how on Wednesday, June 19th, the day that Taylor was last seen a guest was approached on the beach by a stranger. It was a man wearing a Celtics hat dressed in all black and apparently he claimed he was from Chicago. He told them he was interested in taking yoga classes and then proceeded to follow this person off the beach onto the property. They also learned that there was a man near Taylor's tent at the ashram on a walkie-talkie, which when hearing this really obviously concerned them and not just because of the timing but also because this is one of those times where the swami came up and pulled this person away from their conversation according to the two of them. Uh almost like they didn't want Colette or Emily to learn about him. However, an HR consultant hired by the ashram, a guy named Peter Goody, has firmly rejected the idea that this individual is suspicious. In fact, he outright denies anything nefarious happened to Taylor at all. Instead, he chocked it up to Taylor leaving, voluntarily., I'm, going to, read you a statement from him and keep in mind this is in reference to an article that was written about her disappearance. So, it says, "We are concerned that the story infers that Taylor Casey was abducted from the ashram. That is false and defamatory and not based on facts. The tent photo in the NBCU story taken by Miss Casey's family shows no signs of struggle. Her toothbrush and personal care products were in the tent in the photo indicating that she was going to return. Her passport, items of clothing, and purse were not in the tent photo, indicating that she took them with her along with her phone. In summary, these facts, all of which are within the NBCU story indicate Taylor left voluntarily. We also wish to point out that Taylor's phone pinged in the water as tracked on her niece's iPhone app. There was no indication from that evidence that she was abducted. As you've reported, the beach in front of the ashram is a public beach. There are non- guests and members of the public that walk along that beach daily. The man is from Atlanta and was staying next door at the Atlantis Resort. He was simply taking a stroll on the beach and was interested in knowing more about our yoga classes. We often have inquiries about the yoga retreat from guests at Atlantis. So besides that being obviously really insensitive, I want to point out a few things. Okay, so this Peter guy quite literally says that some of her personal belongings were left in her tent, indicating that she was planning to return. He also says that because there were no signs of a struggle in her tent that she had to have left voluntarily. But how do we know that she didn't walk down to the beach only to then be met by someone who wanted to harm her? We don't know. And there was a lot of confidence in his statement as if he knows and he does not. And that's why Taylor's disappearance just can't be written off so quickly. We just don't know. And the last that anyone had heard of her being at the ashram, they could hear the sound of her tent zipping and unzipping zipping and unzipping, and the fan in her tent being turned on and off, on and off as well. But that's it. And then in another part of his statement, he also went into more detail about that guy with the walkie-talkie. He said, "The other individual described in your report was holding a walkie-talkie. Our best guess is that he is the security guard for one of our neighbors. He entered the ashram at about 2:00 p.m., a time when our students were in class and stayed for a couple of minutes and left." Peter also said that the person who identified this man had made a mistake in their identification. But where I take the most issue with this dude's statement is when he says, "Our best guess," which just sounds so unprofessional, really quite frankly stupid, um, and insensitive. And I know that this guy is only an HR rep, but the language that he uses clearly reflects the fact that such little has actually been done from an investigation standpoint. Saying our best guess instead of the police spoke with him and we're confident he's not involved or something like that is just you see where I'm coming from here? If this was your sister, your daughter your friend, I think you would be just as upset as Emily and Colette are and everyone who cares about Taylor and wants answers. The language that people use here matters because if you listen closely, you can hear how much or in this case, how little is actually being done to find her how much or how little people care. And it's not just this one instance. It's everything. It's the lack of communication and transparency. It's the clear lack of effort and how quickly everyone in the Bahamas has seemed to just moved on from what's happened. Oh and I also wanted to point out something that was in a video I saw about her case and it just can't be ignored. So, a friend of Taylor's named Jessica actually went down to the Bahamas to pass out flyers after she went missing. And I'll have the video linked below if you're interested in watching the full thing, but towards the end of the video she gets in a taxi and is headed to church and she strikes up a conversation with a driver. And when she asks him about Taylor, he starts talking about while there are transgender people in the Bahamas, he says it's not a country that accepts it. He even starts saying how if his sons came and told him they were trans, how he would tell them they could quote, "forget about him." And of course, I'm not saying that his opinions are shared with every person living there. Of course, I am not saying that. But it would be wrong to talk about Taylor's case and ignore the role that her identity plays into every part of it. from what happened to her to how the investigation has been handled and especially how it's been covered or really not covered by the media. As a black transgender woman, Taylor belonged to two communities, both of which face a disproportionate amount of discrimination and violence. So, not only has that made her more vulnerable to harm in the first place, but it's also made getting justice, getting answers even harder after the fact. Here's a quote I found from CNN that I think puts some of the discrimination into context in terms of the Bahamas. Okay. So, a 2023 report on human rights practices in the Bahamas conducted by the US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor found that LGBTQ plus individuals faced social stigma and discrimination and did not believe they were adequately protected by authorities. This same report also found that protections for LGBTQI plus people were not in place when it came to rape and domestic violence. So, the Bahamian government passed the protection against violence bill. However, activists quote view the legislation as inadequate to effectively protect against gender-based violence. At the end of the day, this report highlighted how there are many human rights issues happening in the Bahamas that absolutely can't be ignored when considering what happened to Taylor. And now I think we can see firsthand how it's impacting this investigation and also the lack of media coverage we're seeing just in the United States. I mean besides News Nation, there really hasn't been much at all. I'll let Emily and Colette speak about how they believe that this has impacted her case. >> Like, I've, said, before,, and, I'll, say, a thousand times, my child had two strikes against her. one that she was black and the other that she was trans transgender, you know, and I think when they found that out, you know, I think it started at the the Civananda Yoga retreat because when I spoke to my child on June 18th, the last time I spoke to my child and my child mentioned to me that my this is hard and my child has never told me something was hard. Actually, things were easy for Taylor because Taylor's intelligent and smart and willing to learn, you know, and and do things. And this is something Taylor paid a lot of money for to do to go over to another country and become a yoga instructor. Thousands of dollars. Yeah. I think it impacted when we were sitting in the room with all those 13 people. I just felt the vibes like they just didn't care. They really didn't care. and and and I've did some research and I read that over in the Bahamas they do not accept transgender people, you know they're against it, anti-transgender totally against it. And I felt all of that all of that in that room. Yeah. It impacted because and then like they sat in that room and they tried to make it seem like my child was like Emily had said earlier, you know, not the person that they were trying to make Taylor out to be. And then they were trying to make it out to be that Taylor was suicidal. Not hardly. Suicidal people don't even make plans for one. So Taylor made all these plans, spent all this money and you know all the time to go over to the Bahamas, learn to become a yoga yoga instructor and you're suicidal. And that book that they say was a journal, that was not a journal. There were no dates in it. I think it was one date in it. There were no dates in it. And um it it just wasn't a journal. You know, I know what a journal is because I journal and and that wasn't a journal. That was um like a thought Taylor had just put in the in that book that day. People who were at the ashram at the same time that Taylor was at the ashram sent messages on Facebook and Instagram and reached out to us personally to report that the people at the ashram did not integrate Taylor well and that they did not well because Taye is black and trans. And so multiple people reach out to us, people who were there while Taylor was there to tell us that. And so that also lets us know that Taylor's identity was a factor in in what happened to Taylor. And then also the response and or lack thereof response to Taylor's disappearance. Also, we saw there were a few videos that were posted online from the actual teacher training and different activities that they were doing and we felt really uncomfortable watching those videos because of the way that people were treating Taylor in those videos. For example, you know, one part of the curriculum is that um each each participant leads the entire group in in chants. And there's a video of Taylor leading the group in chants. And there's this woman who comes up on stage while Taylor's leading the chant and like cozies up to Taylor and puts her head on Taylor's shoulder and Taylor flinches. And it's like, why is that person doing that? why would they be interrupting Taylor while Taylor's leading chance and this is part of the curriculum? And so that's just one example that we could see. Um and we've asked for all of the information of the curriculum and things that were happening for Taylor during the training and and and the ashram has not given that to us. And so that's also a red flag to us is that what was going on during that during the two and a half weeks that Taylor was in the teacher training. You know, when my child told me, "Ma, this is hard." I didn't get the fact that I didn't get that Taylor was saying the class yoga instruct, you know, becoming a yoga instructor was hard. I didn't get that from that. That was hard. I believe that hard came from being rejected being not integrated with others, being treated funny, being treated different. That's what I got that cuz it really bothered me after I hung up the phone not knowing my child was going to be gone from my life, you know. But yeah that's what got me. I said, "No, it's not that yoga. It's not the the yoga class. It's how people's treating my child." Yeah. Yeah. >> And, because, Taylor's,, you, know,, Taylor was in the Air Force, Taylor's in very good shape and very physically capable. >> Yes., But, Taylor, at, after, two, and, a, half weeks would would would have a hard time with isolation, would have a hard time with rejectionally if there was no >> to, confide, in, or, no, one, to, be supportive. >> Um, >> yeah,, I, could >> that's, true. >> Yeah. >> Now,, I, would, also, like, to, give, them, the opportunity to just say what they think may have happened to Taylor. I don't think they put in the effort that they should have anyway. I felt like they should have treated my child's case like it was their child. And I saw none of that. I didn't even feel that they even had remorse. That's what was bothering me. I mean, like these people weren't even remorse. You know, I'm sitting here and my child is missing. They didn't have remorse. I don't think they did enough. you know the information they did get about the phone. You know, I had to call them and tell them that my granddaughter pinged my Taylor's niece ping the ping the phone in the in the Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean, whichever one it is. Yeah. That and um then I told them that and that's when they decided to get u divers and stuff. The main thing that we wanted was give this case to the FBI. Give it to the FBI. We know how the FBI handles cases because they were so nonchalot and I felt like they just didn't care. They wouldn't give it to the FBI that they were just so nonchalant. Like Emily had said earlier they tried to make my child seem like the person that my child wasn't. You know, my child was carefree and loose and like wasn't concerned about the the yoga retreat, you know, paying all them thousands of dollars. That is not even my child's character. When my child puts puts her life into something, she's committed and she does what she needs to do because she wants to learn and grow and and just do things. No, they didn't put in any effort and we had to work so hard to get basic updates. I mean, there was when we were there, you know, we met with them. There still wasn't a lot of good information or a lot of substantive information. But then when we got back they would say that they would call us with an update. We wouldn't hear from them. We would call and call and call and call. They wouldn't answer. They blocked our phone numbers. It would be weeks before. >> Oh, my, god. >> Um, and, we, would, have, the, embassy, reach out on our behalf. And then eventually the embassy said that they stopped responding to them. No, we do not believe that they did enough because it was so hard to get substantive information from them and it was so hard to get updates. I think in retrospect we realized because there were no updates for them to give us um because there was not so much activity going on in the investigation into Taylor's disappearance. And you know, we've said this before that there were basic things that they should have done early on to gather um any potential information from people who were there from, you know places where we know Taylor was like her tent at the ashram or even following up on these tips that we received while we were there. Uh, for instance, the walkie-talkie, you know, on the on the platform where all the tents were very close to Taylor's tent >> the, man, walking, on, the, beach, in, a Celtics hat claiming to be from Chicago making his way onto the property of the ashram. You know, following up on those kinds of details, you know, seemed like those would be obvious things to do in an investigation if you're actually trying to find someone who's disappeared and they did not do that. >> Um, >> yeah., And, it's, like, it's, like, the, first 48 hours are very important to a case and you don't have no missing flyers. You know people at the the Astramm, the students other students didn't even know my child was missing. Come on. What are you guys doing? It made me very angry. Made me very very angry. We also believe that people know what happened to Taylor and we we at this point we our our worst fears, you know, now have been confirmed with the amount of time and everything that we've seen with the lack of investigation. Um and we believe something tragic and violent happened to Taylor and >> yeah, >> so, we, we, want, everyone, to, encourage anyone with information to come forward to not live with that on their conscience. Um, so that they should come forward with information. They can contact Colette as Taylor's mother directly. They can also reach out to the Find Taylor Casey page on social media. It's on Instagram, on Facebook. Also, we have a website. If you have any information at all, please come forward. And please encourage anyone in the Bahamas who has information to come forward. Like you heard, their belief is that the bare minimum was and is being done. And I could not agree more. So they have had to do what so many other families have to do, take matters into their own hands and be the ones to advocate for Taylor. And I just have to say right off the bat, they have done an amazing job. I'm so blown away. On July 11th of 2024, which would have been her 42nd birthday, her loved ones and supporters gathered outside of city hall to call upon the US government to get involved. It started with Colette reading a beautiful and heartfelt letter that she wrote to her daughter during which she promised they would do anything they could to find her. Emily spoke too and her passion could truly be felt. She shared that the only reason anything is happening in Taylor's case is not because of the authorities, but because of the demands of her supporters. And in her speech, she called on senators Dick Durban and Tammy Duckworth to put pressure on the State Department to tell the Royal Bahamian Police Force to get the FBI involved in the case. They also all called attention to the fact that Taylor's disappearance is among a pattern of violence against black trans women. And like others Taylor's case is not getting the time care, or justice that she deserves. >> I, have, known, Taylor, for, over, 15, years, and I've had the joy of sharing space with her beautiful family in her home as you have affirmed our community. That is what Taylor is. Taylor curates community. Taylor has brought so many in the LGBTQ community for so many years and I am so sick and tired once again as we have to come together and urge for a member of our community to be found because of the plights and the blights against in particular black trans women of color. We will continue to fight and advocate for Taylor to come home. I was just at the White House and advocated for the White House to advocate and to do every resource to advocate every resource that they have in finding Taylor. She's a beloved member of her community and I hope that she comes home soon. >> I, was, approached, yesterday, and, somebody asked me, Shannon, what are your thoughts when Taylor went missing? And my thought was again, here we are again. We have black women who are constantly being deprioritized. We have women globally across the world more narrowly speaking, trans women whose lives are being discarded, who are being thought of as nothing but an afterthought. And again, here we are having to apply pressure when it should come as second nature and instinct to do what you know to be right. and that is to center the humanity of an individual who right now is missing and needs to be home. Again, we continue to send a resounding message across the waters globally, locally, and nationally that black women do not matter. Black trans women do not matter. But we're here to say right now emphatically resoundingly, and loudly that we reject that, that black women matter, that black trans women matter, and we will not forget this situation. While Taylor may be missing, she is not forgotten. >> Right?, So,, we're, going, to, continue, to apply pressure. We're going to continue to hold our elected officials locally nationally, and globally to accountability, and we will bring Taylor home. Thank you all so much. >> As, you, can, see,, Taylor's, entire community is very passionate about getting answers, and they have been able to make some progress. However, for every step forward, they're still really being given the runaround, which is stopping them from pushing her case forward. Now, as I mentioned, getting the FBI involved has been a major focus. And the Bohemian authorities did ask for the FBI's help, but only for specific things like they assisted in providing a dive team and cadaavver dogs as well. However, they were not asked to come in and just take over the case, which would be amazing if they could, cuz really the goal here at the end of the day is to have the case fully turned over to the FBI. And another thing that they were asked to help with was processing the data from Taylor's phone. Of course that could be huge. And for a long time nothing was being done to extract the data from Taylor's phone until finally after Colette and Emily fought tooth and nail for this, the FBI was finally asked to process the data. However, things fell short once again because to Colette and Emily's knowledge, the FBI turned over that data to the Bohemian authorities without doing any kind of investigation into it themselves. And nothing has been heard since and no one will give them a copy of it to try and go through it themselves. So, as I mentioned earlier though, they do have that Verizon call log of hers, but that's it. They have just been bounced back and forth between US and Bohemian authorities trying to get a hold of someone who can just tell them what's going on with Taylor's phone. But this is where they really hit a wall. Senator Duckworth's office did agree that all of this has been completely unacceptable. So, they do have some support there which has been great, but they're frustrated still because even they haven't been able to get them a copy of this data. And what's so upsetting is that all of this is proof that had Emily and Colette not been such strong advocates, none of this would have happened. There is no reason that any of this should have fallen onto them. But time and time again, it does fall onto families. And I think what really makes it even more difficult, what's really like salt in the wound here is to see that so many other cases are getting the time and coverage and getting uh talked about more and more podcast episodes and what have you. And Taylor's case just isn't getting any of that. And that's the case, like I said, for so many families. Um, and it's it's frustrating. and the fact that we all know what the FBI is capable of and how they could be pushing this investigation forward and how different everything would be if they could do that. Um, yet it's been 1 and 1/2 years and we practically don't know any more than we did back when Taylor first went missing. Speaking with the senator's office, I think they were they were pretty great. They were pretty good. They would, their responses were great and quick and they would call us back and they would keep in touch, you know, and and and and I felt concerned on their part. They felt I felt like they were really concerned about my missing child's case and um they wanted to get things done. And even um when we spoke with Tammy Duckworth one time, you know, she even mentioned cuz we was concerned about getting my child's phone. You know, I feel like the story of what happened to my child is in that phone. It's in that phone. And she was like, "Yeah, I think you guys should make that the first thing you do is get that phone. Get that phone because the information is on the phone and you want to get the phone before it disappears." You know, she even said that before the phone disappears. And I'm like, "Wow." Okay. Yeah. Well, as you know, we never got the phone. It's been over a year now, and we never got the phone. We never even got the information off of the phone. When they sent the phone to the FBI, and the and the FBI sent them stacks of information. I saw the p we were on a Zoom meet and I saw the piles of paper. It was stacks of information. Um, Lieutenant Superintendent Skippings was going through. I'm like, "Okay we've got to go through this information and we'll get back to you guys, but which they never did, you know, they rarely got back to us about anything." As Emily mentioned early, they didn't return calls. They say, "Okay, we're going to talk to you um this day and this day." I think they set up one appointment with us and actually made it. That's when they got the information, the stacks piles of information from off the phone. the data and but um never gave it to us. Never gave it to us. >> Yes,, I, agree, with, Colette., Senators Duckworth's office was the most responsive and hands down the most effective of any of the authorities that we dealt with um throughout all of our efforts to try to make sure that these you know, that there was an investigation into Taylor's disappearance. And we we did originally get in contact with him because we knew that we needed more accountability. Um we needed more pressure put on the embassy, put on the FBI, put on the police in the behem in the Bahamas um because there wasn't enough that was being done to find Taylor. And we knew um and and wanted the FBI to take over the investigation. Um, what ended up happening is that the Bohemians had asked for support on a few specific things like having cadaavver dogs sending divers. Those were the things that the FBI helped out on. And then also, we we kept saying that we need to get the information off of Taylor's phone. We had been asking for the phone. They never gave it to us. The Bohemians did give the phone to the FBI in order for the data on Taylor's phone to be processed. We were advocating for that data to be for a copy of that data also to be sent to us so that our attorneys could process that information so that we as Taylor's family could look at the information because we know Taylor better than anyone. So, we would have been able to detect things that someone who had never met Taylor wouldn't be able to detect. And so, you know, the FBI said that they were going to send it to the Bahamians, the police in the Bahamas. That's what they did. To our knowledge, the FBI didn't even review the data from Taylor's phone and did not keep a copy of the data from Taylor's phone, which to us is unconscionable. You have this a person who's disappeared. There's data from the phone, the phone's been recovered, and it's an American, and the FBI doesn't even look at that information. To us that's unconscionable. We still are demanding to have access to the phone and to that data that was taken from Taylor's phone. We want to know what happened to Taylor. >> Yes., And, the, and, the, FBI., And, I'm, like, what is the problem with you guys inviting the FBI to take over the case? So, they told me the FBI actually has to be invited in to take over the case. Okay. So, invite them in. I said, who has to do that? They like we have to do it. Okay. So, why won't you invite them in? Just invite them in and they can take over the case. And they never did. And they never did. >> And, they, never, gave, me, the, phone., They never the phone. Yeah. The phone. And and that's a huge red flag to us because in the year from when Taylor disappeared to when we were still advocating, two American women went missing in other countries and the FBI was on the scene right away. Hannah Kobayashi went missing and then was was located in Mexico and her family was able to talk to her on the phone and that was a result of the FBI's involvement. There was a young woman in the Dominican Republic who went missing right away. The FBI was on it and they had a suspect. They had, you know, an idea of what had happened to her. Her parents were down there and they were able to um have answers right away. So this notion that the FBI can't be involved because it's in another country, we have seen in two other cases in the last year, uh that that's actually not the case. And that, you know, we again are imploring the Bahamians to allow the FBI to take over the case. And when the FBI is assisting, we are imploring them to gather all of the information that they can. You know, again, if they process the data from Taylor's phone, uh, they should have been able to keep that information and then also look at it themselves. A lot of this stuff just doesn't add up. And that's why they have been nonstop rallying to bring attention to her case. And like I said, their efforts have truly just been outstanding. And they've been met with a ton of support from the rest of the community. Early on in the case, an anonymous donor contributed $10,000 towards reward information. And since then, thousands of dollars have been fundraised to support efforts to locate Taylor. These fundraisers have included both in-person events and online donation campaigns. And right now, they have raised just over 51,000 of their $100,000 goal. And the money from these fundraisers is crucial in helping them get justice. These funds are going towards travel costs to and from the Bahamas, hiring an attorney, private investigation team, national and international outreach campaigns, and more. It's all very expensive, and even in the darkest time of their lives, they have managed to stay strong for Taylor and keep fighting. And it's just really inspiring to see. I'm going to link their Facebook page below, as well as the link to their website, which is findcasey.com. And when you guys go there, I think you'll be blown away by their level of organization. They have all the information that anyone could need on her disappearance, making it very easy for people to get involved. They also have a storefront on their website where you can buy t-shirts and totes, buttons pins, all of which will go towards supporting their efforts. They have an Instagram page which will be linked as well. And I really want to encourage all of you to get involved and show your support. And there are so many ways you can do that. I mean, for starters, just something as simple as following any of their social media pages, just showing your support. If you want to go the extra mile, dropping a comment, just letting them know, you know, you're you're thinking of them, that you are impressed by their efforts, whatever it is that you feel like you want to say just something encouraging and kind just really helps these families not to feel so alone when you know they feel like they don't have the support from the people who really should be supporting them, right? And then if you want to take it a step further, they've actually prepared their own tweets that you can easily just copy paste and post. Now this is something that my team and I normally help people to make, but they've actually already done it. That's all going to be in the description box and show notes of this episode, so it'll be really easy for you guys to access and you guys, of course, can show your support by making a donation. Uh, you can find the link to their fundraising page down below as well. I'll have everything really organized and easy to access. My team and I have also offered Colette a hope grant through my foundation, Higher Hope, and we discussed yesterday how she could use the funds where she most needs it. Uh we're still kind of trying to figure it out, but it sounds like they're interested in using the grant to cover legal fees that they've incurred uh which is very expensive. And as always updates on the grant and all grants can be found on higher hope social media accounts. That's hyeroporg on Instagram and higherh hope.org. Speaking of which if you want to give us a follow, we're close to 10,000 followers on Instagram and our coordinator uh would just be thrilled if we could get there and I would appreciate it. Another way that you can support them is by reaching out to Senator Dick Durban or Tammy Duckworth. The pressure really does need to be kept on them. So, we've created an email template that you can easily copy paste to let them know that we haven't forgotten about Taylor. I also want to put a personal plea out there to anyone who was at the ashram when Taylor was there. If you happen to see this episode, if you have any information about her disappearance, anything you notice, big or small, doesn't matter. Please reach out to her family. I will have information of how to do that in the show notes and description box of this episode. >> Hello, people, and, and, thank, you, very, much for all the support and concern and care that you've given us and love, you know throughout this trying time. We couldn't have done it done it without you. We couldn't do it without you. So we appreciate you. But I'm ask that you would continue to get in touch with the senators, their office by calling, by writing them, you know, sending them letters and and asking them to help us to get the FBI involved in this case. I know it's been a long time, you know but we could just still try. Nothing beats a failure but a try. So, I ask that you'll continue to do that. make the calls, write the letters, continue to donate, donate if you can, you know and we just don't want this to die down because we all know what happens when things die down. It's just forgotten about totally. So, let's just try to keep this case alive to to uh help find my child and bring my child home. I really appreciate you guys. I love you guys and thank you for doing this for us. >> Yeah,, keep, talking, about, Taylor, and Taylor's story and keep asking the hard questions. Ask the hard questions of the police in the Bahamas. Ask the hard questions of the embassy, of the state department, of the >> right., It's, unconsionable, that, American citizen can go missing in another country and so little be done about it. Um, so ask those hard questions. And you know, this is not an easy process and it's a very expensive process to hire investigators, to hire attorneys to travel back and forth from the Bahamas. You know, this is it's it's expensive to do this. So, the donations um go a long way in helping to cover those expenses and continue to advocate for black trans women because this is you know, this happens to black trans women and and we love Taylor. We know Taylor, but we also know this happens to other other people like Taylor. So advocate for them and advocate for a safer world uh for black trans women. And don't travel to the Bahamas. Don't go there. At the end of the day Taylor Casey really spent the majority of her life helping others. And right now is our turn to advocate for her and help her. You guys hear me preach all the time about being an active true crime consumer and what does that look like? And this is a case where I really want you to put all that into practice. Just take an extra step. It doesn't take long to show family support that could actually make a huge difference for them at the end of the day. Someone out there or multiple people in my opinion know what happened to Taylor. And it's really so important that this case does not become another statistic that it does not go unsolved. Taylor is a light in so many people's lives. and without knowing where she is, that light is just missing. So, it's time that we bring her home and get them the answers that they deserve. To quote her friend Jackie "Too often our black, trans, and gender expansive siblings go missing with little to no attention in the media or investigation by authorities. We are extremely concerned for Taylor's safety and need your support in keeping the pressure on American and Bohemian authorities. As a reminder, Taylor is 43 years old, 5' 10 in tall, and weighs approximately 145 lb. She is black with medium complexion and has brown hair and brown eyes. If you have any information about her disappearance or whereabouts please text or call 1773 676733. You can also call Crimestoppers at 328 TIPS, which is 8477. There's also a $10,000 reward for information. Colette would also like you guys to know that if there is information you would like to get directly to her, there is a phone number in the show notes and description box of this episode as well for you to do so. And also with that being said, I once again just wanted to thank Emily and Colette for joining me in this episode. Um, I know it's a lot to ask and it was also very helpful because some of the information was confusing and they really helped clear things up for me and helped me find a few things that really just blew my mind and I wouldn't have been able to complete this episode without them. So, I am deeply grateful. I'm also very deeply grateful to all of you who stuck with me throughout this episode. I know it's long and it had a lot of information. It was also very heavy and upsetting. Um and I just appreciate all of you so much. Uh, but that is it for me today. I'll be here next week with another case um to tell you guys all about. I am just getting so tired during recording lately while pregnant. It's crazy. I guess it makes sense, but I feel like my brain is just not firing how it was. But anyway um yeah, thank you for joining me today. I'll be back next week and until then stay safe out there. [Music]