Cailen Waddell says he believes his wife, Cary physical therapist Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, most likely drowned while swimming off Grenada's Grand Anse Bay. But two weeks after she vanished, he says some pieces of the case still do not add up.
The 44-year-old Cary woman went missing during a vacation in the Caribbean, according to The News & Observer. Waddell was last seen on Grand Anse Beach, and authorities say she was never seen leaving the water. Security footage reviewed by investigators showed her swimming near a jetty by her Airbnb before floating out of camera view, and vacation rental surveillance separately captured her walking toward the pier around 11:30 a.m. on July 22 and entering the ocean shortly after noon, according to CBS News.
Waddell, who founded Art of Movement Physical Therapy in Cary and holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a recognized small-business owner in Wake County, per the Hindustan Times. She had stepped back from her practice in late 2023 after publicly disclosing struggles with long COVID, post-viral illness and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, according to reporting from The Daily Beast.
Jet-Skiers Reported a Sighting Far From Shore
According to the News & Observer, jet-skiers reported seeing Waddell swimming far from shore on July 22 and spoke with her for five to 10 minutes. The jet-skiers offered to bring her back to shore and tried to convince her to ride with them, but she reportedly told them, “I'm a good swimmer.” Family members believed the jet-skiers had in fact seen Elizabeth Waddell, and the jet-skiers later accompanied her family on a boat to show where they had encountered her, though Cailen Waddell has said the sighting was not 100% certain.
Waddell was reportedly floating and treading water about one-third mile from shore and one-third mile northeast of Quarantine Point in Grand Anse Bay, per the same report. The water at that location was estimated to be about 17 feet deep, based on research done by Cailen Waddell. Her husband says there is no known information about her whereabouts after a 5:30 p.m. sighting that day.
A Non-Confident Swimmer Who Took Lessons as an Adult
Cailen Waddell has said his wife was not a confident swimmer and was most comfortable in the water with flotation devices, though she reportedly did not appear to be using any on the morning she disappeared. She had taken four flotation devices on the trip and had used two of them earlier in Grenada, according to the News & Observer. Waddell had also taken swimming lessons as an adult, her husband noted.
Cailen Waddell traveled to Grenada shortly after his wife's disappearance to assist local search teams, according to CBS News. In a July 29 statement, he said that after consultations with local police, the U.S. Embassy and family, they agreed no foul play was involved in her disappearance. He has said drowning may be the most likely scenario, but he does not rule out the possibility that his wife is on land or on a boat somewhere.
FBI and Grenadian Police Continue the Search
The Royal Grenada Police Force enlisted help from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Police Commissioner Randy Connaught announced during a press briefing, per NOW Grenada. Authorities maintain no evidence of foul play has been found, and the case continues to be treated as a missing person investigation. During a July 28 press conference, Connaught confirmed that search operations have involved police divers, Coast Guard assets and community volunteers sweeping Grand Anse Bay both from the air and underwater, according to WRAL.
Investigators have searched anchored boats, nearby shorelines and wooded areas, and have reviewed Waddell's journal entries, emails, text messages, WhatsApp messages and YouTube search histories, according to the News & Observer's reporting. Waddell's travel companion located only her towel near the pier after she failed to return from swimming, and police later confirmed recovering her phone and personal effects, though not her shoes or wallet, per WSB-TV. Family and friends who joined search efforts in late July returned to the United States on July 31, though local authorities have continued communicating with the family, as ABC11 WTVD reported.
Husband Says Evidence Doesn't Point to a Disappearance by Choice
Cailen Waddell, who works as operations manager for Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, says evidence gathered so far does not point to any desire on his wife's part to disappear. He has said his wife had plans for the future involving him, their daughter and family, and that he would not be surprised if she returned even after two weeks had passed. He maintains constant communication with Grenadian authorities and says the ongoing investigation may still yield answers about his wife's last known moments.
Since returning to North Carolina, Cailen Waddell has been journaling, meditating and working out daily, according to the News & Observer. He has said some details of the case still do not add up, even as he has come to see drowning as the most likely explanation.
Calls for Beach Safety Changes in Grenada
The disappearance has sparked local debate over beach safety in Grenada. Maritime specialist and attorney Anslem Clouden has publicly urged authorities to establish designated no-swim zones and beach safety markers at Grand Anse Beach, a major tourist destination in the capital, to prevent visitors from swimming into hazardous deep offshore waters, according to a Facebook post reported by MTV News Grenada.
Separately, the U.S. Department of State updated its travel advisory for Grenada on Wednesday, recommending that American travelers exercise increased caution due to regional crime concerns, according to the agency's official guidance. The advisory update came as the search for Waddell continued without resolution.
