Missing Chicago woman last seen at yoga retreat in The Bahamas

CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago resident was reported missing during a trip to The Bahamas. 

The Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed Taylor Casey, 41, was last seen in the area of Paradise Island, Nassau, in the Bahamas on June 19. It's a popular tourist area with many resorts, restaurants, beaches and more.

A friend said, in a Facebook post, that Casey attended a yoga retreat center before she "mysteriously vanished." 

Late Tuesday, The Yoga Retreat Bahamas confirmed Casey's disappearance and said it had asked police to investigate. The yoga retreat center said it also advised the U.S. Embassy and Casey's family.

Casey's disappearance was discovered this past Thursday, when she failed to attend morning classes, the retreat center said. The last time she was seen at retreat was this past Wednesday evening, the retreat center said.

"The Ashram is asking anyone with information on Ms. Casey to contact the local police," the retreat center said. "In the interim, it is collaborating with the authorities on their investigation."

Casey's niece said family members, including a grandmother, are going to the Bahamas Tuesday to help in the search. Casey's family lives in suburban Hazel Crest. 

In a statement, Casey's mother Colette Seymore said, "We are deeply concerned for Taylor's safety and wellbeing. We love Taylor and want her home."

As of January of 2024, The Bahamas was under a level 2 travel advisory due to crime. U.S. officials warned, "Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas."

"The reason why the State Department issued that advisory is because of increased gang crimes in The Bahamas," said CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg. "As there are an increased crime situations with gangs in places like Mexico or Jamaica. That does not necessarily mean you can't go there."

Greenberg added such advisories often generate fear, but it's important to know the surroundings.

"Where trouble happens for any American traveler is when they, let's say, they go out at night with friends or by themselves in a neighborhood that they don't know, or they don't understand or that's unfamiliar to them and they're not traveling in a group," Greenberg said. "That's when they can get into some trouble."

The U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas and the Bahamas Office of Tourism did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the disappearance.