Family of Taylor Casey, Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas, calls for FBI help on her 42nd birthday

CHICAGO (CBS) — Family and friends of Taylor Casey, the Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas for more than three weeks, are asking for help from the FBI on Thursday, her 42nd birthday. 

Casey's family has asked the FBI to take over the search, saying they "are not satisfied with how this investigation has been handled thus far." The family hosted hosting a media conference followed by a birthday party at the South Shore Cultural Center.

Casey's mother read an emotional letter she wrote to her daughter. She said the "pain I felt 42 years ago birthing you doesn't compare to the pain I feel today with you missing out of our lives." 

A friend of Casey, Emily Williams, expressed concern over the current investigation during the media conference. 

"Our understanding is that the FBI can only get involved when the Royal Bahamian police force invites them to be involved and they have not yet done that," Williams said. "They are saying they are working with the FBI, which is not true. They are currently working with the legal attaché of the embassy in Nassau... "

According to local media reports, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the FBI "made an extensive survey of the entire area using the drone technology that they have."

Casey's family is worried her case will go unnoticed, citing other cases involving Black transgender people. They say that the case has been hampered by prejudice among Bahamas investigators.

"Too often our Black trans and gender-expansive siblings go missing with little to no attention in the media or investigation by the authorities," friend Jackie Boyd said. "We are extremely concerned for Taylor's safety and need your support in keeping the pressure on American and Bahamian authorities."

The group Find Taylor Casey, citing the Human Rights Campaign, said that nearly three-quarters of transgender victims of homicide are People of Color.

"Taylor has worked her whole life to interrupt these cycles of violence facing queer youth," the group said in a press release. "Now, we seek to do the same for her."

Taylor Casey was last seen in the Bahamas on June 19. Her family says Casey, who has been practicing yoga for 15 years, was attending a yoga retreat "to fulfill a long-term goal of deepening her practice."

Police in the Bahamas were first alerted to Casey's disappearance by the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, which asked them to investigate after Casey failed to attend morning classes.

Phone recovered from the water

This week, authorities in the Bahamas said they recovered an iPhone they believe belongs to Taylor, though officials admitted Monday they have not as of yet been able to open it to access its contents. 

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, but they also had no luck, Fernander said Monday. Authorities also reviewed surveillance footage from around the island, but there is "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, increased urgency

Casey's mother Colette Seymore reported her missing, but she says when she first arrived in the Bahamas to speak to investigators, she says 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.