CHICAGO (NewsNation) — The family of missing Chicago resident Taylor Casey called for more action and attention to the case Thursday.
“My child has been missing for almost three weeks,” Casey’s mother, Collette Seymour, said during a news conference. “My family, friends, and I are distraught! I am pleading with everyone to call your elected officials and demand the FBI lead this investigation and bring her home safe and sound.”
The family is urging the FBI to get involved and asking for the public’s help in finding Casey. They’ve also said Casey is a transgender woman, which they believe may be a factor in her disappearance.
Casey has not been seen since the evening of June 19, when she disappeared from a yoga retreat at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas, where she was taking classes to become a yoga instructor.
Bahamas police official placed on leave
Michael Johnson, the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s chief superintendent and officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, has been placed on “garden leave” pending “a thorough investigation,” officials announced.
Johnson agreed to “garden leave,” a policy similar to paid leave, following the “circulation of voice notes.” It’s not clear what the voice notes are about or why exactly Johnson was placed on leave.
“The Police Force takes these allegations very seriously. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism within our ranks,” the department said in a news release.
The update raises questions about the police force’s efforts investigating missing persons cases.
Chief Superintendent Anthon Rahming will assume Johnson’s responsibilities “during this period.”
Taylor Casey’s phone was found in the Bahamas
Police announced last Tuesday that search crews, including K-9 units, tracked a scent in 50-foot-deep waters where they found Casey’s cellphone and a journal.
However, investigators were unable to recover any information.
Police also said Casey’s passport remains missing.
‘My child had two strikes against her’: Casey’s mom
Seymore said investigators have gone quiet and she fears the case isn’t being handled respectfully and that her daughter is being discriminated against.
“I feel like my child had two strikes against her when she went to the yoga retreat. One is that she’s Black, and the other is that she’s transgender,” Seymore said during a Monday appearance on “Banfield.”
Casey’s family returned to Chicago after traveling to the Bahamas following Casey’s disappearance, but Seymore says there have been no updates since then.
NewsNation’s digital producers Liz Jassin and Urja Sinha contributed to this report.