Missing Chicago woman's family travels to Bahamas for search: 'We want her home'

The family of a Chicago woman who is missing in the Bahamas is asking the public for help after she has not been seen or heard from in a week.

Taylor Casey, 41, went missing in the Bahamas after last being seen on June 19 in the area of Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a Facebook post on Friday. Police issued a missing person poster on Friday and are continuing to search for Casey.

"We are deeply concerned for Taylor's safety and well-being," Colette Seymore, Casey's mother, said in a news release shared by reps of the family through the Find Taylor Casey Facebook group. “We love Taylor and want her home.”

Casey is 5 feet 10 inches tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, according to the release. She has natural hair that she often covers with a do-rag, the family added.

USA TODAY contacted Casey's family's reps but has not received a response.

Taylor Casey traveled to the Bahamas for yoga retreat

Casey, who has been practicing yoga for 15 years, traveled to the Bahamas to attend the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat to "fulfill a long-term goal of deepening her practice."

Before Casey went missing, she was eager to return to Chicago and share her "newfound knowledge and experience with others," according to the family's release.

“I believe Taylor is in danger because she was eager to share her yoga retreat experience with others upon her return,” Seymore said in the release. “Taylor would never disappear like this.”

Seymore and some of Casey's loved ones and friends are traveling to Paradise Island to coordinate with local authorities, according to the release.

Who is Taylor Casey?

Casey's family describes her in the release as someone with a "vibrant and loving personality."

"I’m currently in shock & can't believe I’m making this post. Taylor is such a sweet person who cares so deeply about the community," Anna DeShawn, a member of the Finding Taylor Casey Facebook group, said in a post on Monday.

A Facebook post shared on the group page after the release called Casey a "beloved friend, daughter, and community leader."