A search is underway in Grenada for Elizabeth "Liz" Waddell, a 44-year-old physical therapist and mother from Cary, North Carolina, who has been missing since July 22.
According to the Royal Grenada Police Force, Waddell was last seen on surveillance footage walking toward a jetty near her Airbnb in the Grand Anse Beach area around 11:36 a.m., before entering the water for a swim. She did not return, and no footage has surfaced showing her coming back to shore. She was vacationing with a longtime friend at the time.
Waddell's husband, Cailen Waddell, who works for the Town of Cary, has remained on the island to assist with search efforts alongside the couple's adult daughter. He described the water near the jetty as shallow and calm - "more like a lake," he said, "not like the ocean water we experience in North Carolina."
Grenada's Commissioner of Police, Randy Connaught, said investigators are reviewing movement in the area during the window Waddell disappeared, including whether any person or vessel was nearby. The case remains an active missing person investigation.
Back home, the response has been immediate. Teresa Peron, owner of Vintage Vogue in Cary, called Waddell a longtime customer and described her as warm and kind. Aradia Fitness, where Waddell also worked as an instructor, shared on social media that the community is praying for her safe return. A GoFundMe supporting search efforts has raised more than $18,000.
Waddell's family has also launched FindLiz.com to share updates as the search continues.
Whatever the days ahead reveal, the outpouring from Waddell's community is a reminder of how far prayer and care can carry a family through uncertainty. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Royal Grenada Police Force at 444-4454 or the police emergency line at 911.
