The body of a 21-year-old woman, Tamia Taylor, has been found in the Mississippi River two weeks after she went missing during a riverboat cruise while celebrating her 21st birthday.
Memphis Police Department said in their initial news release that Tamia went missing after she arrived in Memphis to celebrate her birthday with friends on Sept. 9, 2023.
Police also explained in that release that early Sunday morning, Miss Taylor’s mother drove to Memphis to file a missing person report after several unsuccessful attempts were made to contact her by phone.
“Miss Taylor boarded the Island Queen Booze Cruise at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, September 9, 2023, but was not seen by her companions after the boat returned to the dock and everyone offloaded,” police disclosed in the release on Sept. 12.
Police said they are still investigating how the young Black lady entered the water in the first place, but Memphis Riverboats have ruled out the possibility that she went overboard, noting that there is “no reason to believe she could have gone overboard.”
“We can confirm from video footage circling around that she was last seen on the boat as the boat was pulling into the Harbor, where we dock our boats,” Memphis Riverboats wrote in a press statement.
“We hope she is found safe and returns home,” they added.
The Dock Ellis Foundation, a nonprofit that supports families of missing minority women, said on Facebook on Tuesday that it was “truly heartbroken” by the tragic discovery.
“Debra Taylor and her family are truly [grateful] for your thoughts and prayers,” the foundation posted on the social media platform.
The foundation also asked the public to allow the family time to heal.
