Two Americans vanished from a Bahamas yoga retreat over 10 years apart – National & International News – FRI 26Jul2024

Two Americans disappeared from a Bahamas yoga retreat over 10 years apart.

Paris: Olympics opener marred by “massive and serious” train sabotage.

NATIONAL NEWS

Two Americans disappeared from a Bahamas yoga retreat over 10 years apart

On June 19, 2024, Taylor Casey, 41, of Chicago disappeared from the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where the world-famous Atlantis Resort is also located. She was reported missing to Bahamian authorities the following day. Ms. Casey has been practicing yoga for 15 years and attended the retreat to get her teaching certificate. The circumstances of her disappearance are unclear, but the last person to see her said she was walking on the beach. Ms. Casey’s mother Collette Seymore has said that Casey seemed “off” in their last phone conversation and that she had an “eerie feeling”. 

Since her disappearance, both the management of the Sivananda retreat and the Bahamian authorities have come under intense scrutiny and criticism. Ms. Seymore and other family members visited the island shortly after her daughter’s disappearance. She and other members of the family found the conduct of the staff and guests at the retreat “deeply unsettling“.

Ms. Seymore said she had to beg to be allowed to speak to other attendees. When she was finally allowed to speak to guests, Ms. Seymore had the impression that guests “were told what to say and what not to say”. Many guests also seemed unaware anyone was missing from the retreat, more than a week after Casey disappeared. Casey’s family and friends also cleared out her belongings from her tent, but did not find her passport.

Seymore and her family have also been underwhelmed by the performance of the Bahamian police. The family recently called on the FBI to take over the investigation, saying they were “not satisfied” with the way Bahamian authorities were conducting the investigation. The only significant clue the police have found was the discovery of Casey’s phone in over 50 feet of water. They only found the phone with the help of Casey’s niece who was connected to Casey through a location-sharing app. Authorities have not been able to recover anything from the phone.

Casey’s family initially withheld from the press the fact that Casey was transgender, fearing this would bias the media coverage. 

Wesley Bell

Taylor Casey’s mother says that she was told that no one had ever gone missing from the retreat before, but it turns out this is not true. Wesley Bell, who was from Texas and was also 41 years old at the time, went missing from the ashram in late January of 2013. He was never found. One person who attended the ashram with Bell at the time said that he was planning to go snorkeling. Local authorities concluded that Mr. Bell had drowned, a belief apparently shared by Bell’s family. There is a still-active page on Facebook seeking information about his disappearance.

Friends of Bell and Bahamian authorities have cautioned against “turning a coincidence into a conspiracy” by connecting the two cases. No one in Bell’s family has leveled any criticism either against the ashram or the Bahamian authorities as Ms. Casey’s family have. Thus far, local authorities have not indicated that they suspect foul play in either Mr. Bell or Ms. Casey’s disappearances.

The Bahamas does have a high instance of accidental drowning and also high rates of violent crime. The ashram cautions its visitors from visiting the beach after 6pm for this reason. Despite all the strange goings-on in Ms. Casey’s case, a spokesperson for the ashram claimed Bahamian authorities advised them that they believe Ms. Casey left the ashram “voluntarily”.

Though Bell’s disappearance is very likely a tragic coincidence, it has added fuel to the already intense interest in Casey’s disappearance and the Sivananda ashram among online sleuths. Many have zeroed in posts by previous attendees on sites like TripAdvisor and other forums. While most report a positive experience, some have likened the atmosphere of the Sivananda ashram to a cult, as exemplified in this article from 2014. 

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Paris: Olympics opener marred by “massive and serious” train sabotage

The 2024 Summer Olympics have officially commenced in Paris with an ambitious opening ceremony, the first not to take place in a stadium. Instead, the ceremony featured athletes and foreign dignitaries floating on boats down the River Seine past some of Paris’ most celebrated sights. The ceremony also featured musical performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Mali-born French pop artist Aya Nakamura. 

Ahead of the massive showcase for the city, French authorities have been on the lookout for potential terror threats. Several weeks ago, ISIS issued a threat  against sporting events in Europe this summer. Additionally there have been tensions over the participation of teams from Israel with activists calling for boycotts and protests, though there have been no terrorists threats related to this controversy.

This morning, France’s extensive intercity commuter-rail systems were hit by “prepared and coordinated” attacks. Three cable clusters key to the system’s functioning were set on fire. There have been no reported injuries. The purpose of the attacks doesn’t seem to have been to harm commuters but rather to shut down major routes, and in that respect the attack was successful. The attacks also shut down service on trains to and from London.

French authorities have dubbed the attacks as acts of “vandalism” and “sabotage” rather than acts of terrorism. No groups have claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The attacks did not affect tonight’s opening ceremony since the city’s intracity rail was not undamaged. However, hundreds of thousands of commuters across France were affected, including many who had planned to travel to Paris for the ceremony. It may be several days before the country’s rail system is fully operational. 

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