Taylor Casey missing: Authorities find cellphone of Chicago woman last seen around Paradise Island in the Bahamas

BAHAMAS– The family of a Chicago woman missing in the Bahamas says they are “deeply concerned” for the safety of the 41-year-old, who traveled to the islands for a yoga retreat.

Taylor Casey was last seen June 19 around Paradise Island, a small seaside enclave just off the coast of New Providence Island, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.

Retreat organizers have asked Bahamas police to investigate, according to a statement from the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat obtained by CNN on Tuesday.

The retreat learned of Casey's disappearance when she failed to attend morning classes, according to the release. She was last seen late in the evening of June 19 and “the organization also informed the U.S. Embassy and Taylor Casey's family,” the statement said.

A missing person flyer released by police does not provide details about the circumstances of her disappearance or indicate whether foul play is suspected.

Authorities said Wednesday they found Casey's cell phone in the water, but it's unclear how far it was from the yoga retreat.

“We have conducted a thorough investigation into this matter,” Royal Bahamas Police Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our priority is to find Taylor and get Taylor back healthy.”

Skippings said police used drones, search and rescue dogs and divers as part of the investigation. They also work with Casey's family, checking CCTV cameras and interviewing retreat participants, Skippings said.

Casey's family is asking the public to help find her and urging anyone with information to contact police in the Bahamas.

“We are deeply concerned for Taylor's safety and well-being,” Casey's mother, Colette Seymore, said in a statement posted on a Facebook page dedicated to Casey's whereabouts. “We love Taylor and want her to come home.”

Taylor, who has been practicing yoga for 15 years, attended the yoga retreat “to achieve a long-term goal of deepening her practice,” the family said in the release.

Seymore discovered her daughter was missing when she received a call from the retreat where Casey was training for her yoga certificate, she said Wednesday in an interview with ABC's Good Morning America.

“A young lady called me and said, 'Have you heard from Taylor?'” Seymore said. “And then she said, 'Taylor didn't show up for yoga class.'”

“A mother's intuition and the answers I was getting just weren't what I wanted to hear,” Seymore told ABC.

Seymore said earlier on Facebook that she feared Casey was in danger because her daughter was “eager to share her yoga retreat experience with others when she returns.”

“Taylor would never disappear like that,” the mother added.

Seymore told CNN she was traveling to the Bahamas on Tuesday, but provided no further comment. CNN has contacted a family spokesperson for more information.

Casey's family described her as “a light-skinned black female, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.”

The U.S. State Department issued a Level 2 travel advisory in January for Americans traveling to the Bahamas, warning them to “exercise increased caution” due to crime.

The advisory notes that the majority of crimes take place on the islands of Grand Bahama and New Providence. He adds that violent crimes, including burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults, affect both tourist and non-tourist areas.

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