The mum of an American girl who went missing in the Bahamas last month life on a monthlong yoga retreat observable that her daughter is transgender, a feature she stated she had withheld out of concern it would negatively impact the quest.
Since Taylor Casey used to be latter perceivable alive on June 19, her mom and alike pals had been operating across the clock to seek out her.
The gang has created a number of social media accounts, began a GoFundMe marketing campaign for criminal illustration and crafted long information releases homogeneous to Casey’s disappearance, however a shed Monday used to be the primary moment they have disclosed Casey’s gender id.
“The focus was going to be taken off of finding my child, my child being missing and that they were going to put the focus on ‘oh, Taylor’s transgender,’ which should not be the focus at all,” stated Casey’s mom, Colette Seymore, relating to the media. “It should be the focus is finding Taylor, an American, human being citizen that’s missing in the Bahamas.”
Seymore stated she didn’t to begin with really feel it used to be vital to proportion Casey’s gender id.
Casey’s pals and society consider she would had been discovered by way of now if she had been white and cisgender.
“Without a doubt. Without a doubt,” stated Seymore, 69. “There would have been way more efforts. The investigation would have been done properly, the way it should have been done.”
Native government have now not indicated that there’s proof of foul play games within the lacking individuals case. They have got been conscious about Casey’s gender id, in keeping with Seymore and alike buddy Emily Williams.
Of the 321 murders of trans and gender-nonconforming nation reported international from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, 74% had been dedicated in Latin The us and the Caribbean, in keeping with a study by the LGBTQ advocacy group Transgender Europe. The learn about additionally discovered that 91% of the global trans homicide sufferers had been trans girls or female-presenting and that almost all had been nation of colour.
Within the Bahamas, consensual same-sex sexual task remains to be partly prohibited, according to Human Dignity Trust, an international advocacy team for LGBTQ rights.
Casey were taking part in a yoga teacher program on the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas when she disappeared. Police found her cellphone within the ocean within sight the retreat however haven’t begun to recuperate her passport.
The ashram is on ritzy Paradise Island, adjoining to the Atlantis hotel. It’s been featured in The New York Times, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and The Huffington Post as a supremacy go vacation spot. Casey used to be an avid yogi for 15 years prior to she went at the commute, in keeping with her pals and society.
Seymore stated her daughter looked like herself in telephone yelps they’d since Casey arrived on the retreat on June 3. However at the past she used to be latter perceivable alive, Seymore stated, her daughter sounded off.
“Taylor told me, ‘Ma, this is hard,’” Seymore stated. “And when Taylor told me that, I just felt something, because Taylor is not a quitter, and Taylor loves yoga and really wanted to do that. I just had this eerie feeling.”
Upcoming, Seymore and Williams stated, they had been informed that Casey gave the impression “isolated” and “not integrated well into the program” by way of a number of nation who attended the retreat. Casey used to be the one Lightless particular person and the one trans particular person out of the 14 retreat members, Williams stated.
“Our best guess is that if things were difficult, that those dynamics contributed heavily to the difficulty that Taylor expressed,” Williams stated.
Jacqueline Boyd, every other of Casey’s alike pals, stated she used to be not sure whether or not Casey’s gender id performed a task in her disappearance. However she added that in recent times, as Casey started dwelling extra overtly, she become extra trusting.
“My perspective is that, you know, something not OK has happened to Taylor,” Boyd stated. “And that potentially, you know, in this moment of being on this retreat, there might be people that seemed trustworthy or who seemed not ill-intentioned but could have done harm to Taylor. We just would have heard from her if there was any other option.”
On June 20, Seymore were given the decision from the retreat that Casey used to be lacking. Ashram staffers reported Casey’s disappearance to the Royal Bahamas Police Pressure, or RBPF, police said in a news release, nearest they notified Seymore.
5 days next, Seymore and Williams flew right down to the Bahamas from Chicago to satisfy with police investigators and store her assets. The conferences had been unsuccessful, they stated.
They accused the government of giving them data that contradicts what officers informed the media. Additionally they stated police didn’t publish lacking individuals posters close or on the ashram, even though they posted them on-line.
The Royal Bahamas Police Pressure didn’t in an instant reply to request for remark. In a information shed latter past, it stated Paradise Island police and the Marine Assistance Products and services had been mobilized to seek for Casey on land and sea “immediately.”
“This is a matter of priority for the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and we will continue to work arduously, doing all we can to locate Taylor and ensure her safe return to her family,” the RBPF said in the release. “Additionally, the police will diligently seek to determine what happened to Taylor, and in the process, all relevant stakeholders will be updated in a timely manner.”
Ultimate past, the RBPF announced that its chief superintendent, Michael Johnson, who leads the branch’s felony investigations, has been put on “garden leave,” or temporarily barred from work while he remains on the payroll.
Johnson’s departure does not appear to be related to Casey’s case. The RBPF referred to “the recent circulation of voice notes” involving Johnson in announcing his leave. Caribbean media has reported leaked voice notes allegedly show Johnson discussed dropping criminal investigations in exchange for money. Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It makes so much more sense now to know that that person is now suspended because of corruption and taking bribes,” Williams stated. “That certainly lines up with our impression of how things were not right when we were there.”
Seymore and Williams also slammed the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas. They said staff members gave them conflicting accounts of when Casey was last seen alive and deterred them from seeking out information from other guests.
“They struggled to keep a cohesive, linear narrative about the details of what happened,” Williams said.
More coverage of Taylor Casey’s disappearance
Jonathan Goldbloom, a spokesperson for the retreat, said in a statement that the ashram appreciates “the stress that the family is feeling,” but he pushed back against the accusations.
“We determined Taylor was missing on June 20th and advised the police that evening. The night before was the last time she was seen,” Goldbloom said. “We advised staff and guests on the 20th as well and have continued to keep them informed. We have also urged people to come forward if they have information. We are collaborating with police and sharing all we know.”
“I would also like to point out that the police have advised that they believe that Taylor left the ashram voluntarily,” Goldbloom added.
Seymore said she wants American authorities to take over the case. She added that she has been in contact with the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas and staffers from the offices of Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois to try to recruit American authorities to help with the search but have so far been unsuccessful.
On Thursday, Casey’s 42nd birthday, Seymore, Williams and other friends and members of Casey’s family will host a news conference in Chicago to continue advocating on her behalf.
“Taylor, we love you. We miss you. We want you home,” Seymore said through tears. “Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Taylor.”
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