No answers 3 months into search for Taylor Casey, Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas

CHICAGO (CBS) — It's been three months since Taylor Casey was last seen at a yoga retreat in the Bahamas. Casey, 42, was in the middle of a month-long yoga retreat near Paradise Island when she stopped showing up for classes. She was last seen on June 19.

Casey's family earlier asked the FBI to take over the search from authorities in the Bahamas, saying they were not satisfied with how the investigation was being handled.  

Casey's friend Jacqueline Boyd told CBS News Chicago on Thursday, "There's no updates or anything from the local authorities over there." 

Seymore said U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth's office and the U.S. Embassy have been assisting. 

Casey's family believed search efforts have been marred by prejudice because Casey is transgender. She has been a fixture in Chicago's transgender community and a youth advocate for decades. 

Casey's mother, Colette Seymore, said in an interview that something seemed "off" with her daughter before she vanished.

"I talked to Taylor on the 18th, Taylor had called me and mentioned to me it was hard, it was hard at the yoga retreat," she said. "Something was off, I don't know if Taylor didn't want to alarm me, but I just felt like something was off." 

On Wednesday, the FBI told CBS News Chicago, "We would refer you to the Bahamian authorities leading the investigation for any comment on this matter. The FBI stands ready to assist our international partners with any requests for assistance."

"It's been indescribably horrible,"  Boyd said. "We are desperate to find our friend." 

Phone recovered from the water earlier this summer

In July, authorities in the Bahamas said they recovered Taylor's iPhone. Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said that, during a June 22 search, a dog picked up a scent from a tent and tracked it to the water, but the scent ended there. They subsequently located a phone under roughly 56 feet of water.

Investigators in the Bahamas asked American authorities for help unlocking the phone. Authorities also reviewed surveillance footage from around the island, but there was "no information to connect at this time," the police commissioner added.

Officials added that underwater drones were used in the search for Casey on July 3, but they didn't come up with anything. Meanwhile, surveillance footage from the hotel has also yielded no results. 

Missing woman's mother seeks answers, offers reward

Casey's family is offering a $10,000 reward for any information on her disappearance.   

In July, Casey's family asked the FBI to take over the search from the authorities in the Bahamas, saying they "are not satisfied with how this investigation has been handled thus far."  

Casey's mother Colette Seymore reported her missing, but said when she first arrived in the Bahamas to speak to investigators, she said she did not see a single missing persons flyer for her daughter. 

"They were just really nonchalant and just not acting like it was their child missing," she said. "I had to return home without her. This is every mother's worst nightmare."

Seymore said her visit only left her with more questions than answers.