A North Carolina woman has gone missing during a trip to Grenada, prompting an urgent search in the Caribbean island nation as her husband pleads for “nothing less than her safe return.”
Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, 44, disappeared while staying in Grand Anse, a scenic resort area known for its white-sand beach in the capital city of St. George’s, the Royal Grenada Police Force said Thursday.
Waddell, who is married to Cailen Waddell — an operations manager for the department of parks, recreation, and cultural resources in Cary, North Carolina — was last seen on Grand Anse Beach at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Authorities have opened a missing persons search and are specifically urging fishermen, boat operators and residents along Grenada’s southern coastline to remain alert and report any possible sightings of her.
In the missing persons notice, Waddell was shown with short pink hair, though police described her as having short blonde hair and a medium build.
She is believed to be about 5 feet tall, despite an official press release listing her height as 5-foot-5, WTVD reported.
On Friday morning, Cailen Waddell posted an emotional appeal asking for help finding his wife.
“Facebook Friends. My wife Liz is missing in Grenada. If any of you have connections to the island – can you please share the following with your contacts there?” he wrote on Facebook.
“Liz went missing in the afternoon on Wednesday. I am on my way there now to help search. I expect nothing less than Liz’s safe return – so please sent your love, light, thoughts, and prayers our way,” he said.
Waddell graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy before opening the Art of Movement Physical Therapy in Cary, where she combined her decade of physical therapy experience and over two decades of experience in fitness and dance.
Her bio states she enjoys staying active, including pole dancing, CrossFit, hiking, traveling, and taking walks with her husband around their hometown of Cary.
Waddell’s Facebook account was filled with photos from various international trips, including to Mexico and Thailand, spending time with her husband, Cailen, and their adopted adult daughter, Suwan.
Her last post, on May 22, gave a “Liz health update” where she shared she was being treated for “long-COVID/post-viral and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with a root cause of endometriosis & perimenopause insanity.”
Waddell said her symptoms, which she began experiencing last September, forced her to stop working and going to the gym, and spending a majority of her days sleeping.
Her latest update said she was improving and slowly getting back to a more consistent work schedule.
Grenada officials did not provide any additional information on her disappearance.
