The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas is advising Americans to avoid jet ski rentals due to reported incidents of deaths, injuries, and sexual assaults linked to unlicensed operators.
This advisory comes as surveillance video emerges showing a missing North Carolina mother, identified as Elizabeth "Liz" Waddell, 43, possibly entering the water near her resort in Grenada. Waddell, a physical therapist from Cary, North Carolina, disappeared on July 22 while on a three-week vacation with a friend. Police state she was last seen walking on Grand Anse Beach before vanishing after a swim.
The surveillance footage, reportedly from an Airbnb property, appears to capture Waddell walking near a pool with a towel before she is seen heading toward the water and entering it for a swim. Her family shared this video, which may represent the last moments she was seen alive.
In a statement, Waddell's husband, Cailen Waddell, expressed that exhaustive efforts to locate her had been unsuccessful. He indicated that following consultations with family, local authorities, and the U.S. Embassy, he, like authorities, believes there was no foul play involved in her disappearance.
Cailen Waddell arrived in Grenada two days after his wife went missing and has been participating in the search efforts alongside authorities. Randy Connaught, the commissioner of police for the Royal Grenada Police Force, stated in a news conference that no definitive conclusions had been reached regarding Waddell's disappearance.
The Royal Grenada Police Force has deployed dive teams, drones, and dogs in their search for any trace of Waddell. The investigation remains active, with detectives pursuing multiple lines of inquiry and appealing for any information from the public. US travelers warned to avoid Bahamas jet ski rentals amid deaths, assaults.