Family of Liz Waddell returns to US as search for missing North Carolina woman continues in Grenada
Elizabeth Waddell, a North Carolina woman who vanished while vacationing in Grenada, was reportedly seen alive hours after she was first believed missing, and her family has now returned to the US as the search goes on.
Elizabeth Waddell, a North Carolina woman from Cary, went missing while vacationing in Grenada. Her husband said drowning is the most likely explanation, though she was reportedly seen alive more than four hours after she was first believed to have vanished. Her family has returned to the US as the search continues.
The family of Elizabeth Waddell, a North Carolina woman who vanished while on vacation in Grenada, has returned to the United States as the search for her continues. Her husband said the family had done all they could before flying home, nine days after she disappeared, according to reports. Waddell, known as Liz and reported to be from Cary, North Carolina, went missing near Grand Anse beach. Her husband said drowning is the most likely explanation for her disappearance. He also said she was reportedly seen alive more than four hours after she was initially believed to have vanished, and that jet skiers spoke with her in the ocean before she disappeared. Surveillance video reportedly captured her swimming in open water on July 22, according to reports. The case now rests with search teams in Grenada, with her family back home awaiting word. The reported sightings after her presumed disappearance have complicated the timeline investigators are working from, and her husband's account suggests the effort has shifted from rescue to recovery.
North Carolina woman vanishes during Grenada vacation
Elizabeth Waddell, known to friends and family as Liz, disappeared while on vacation in Grenada, the Caribbean island nation south of the Grenadines. Reports say she is from Cary, North Carolina, a town just west of Raleigh.
Waddell went missing near Grand Anse beach, a well-known stretch of coastline on the island's southwest. According to her husband, she was reportedly seen alive more than four hours after she was initially believed to have vanished, a detail that has complicated efforts to establish a clear timeline of her disappearance.
Her husband has also said that jet skiers spoke with her in the ocean before she vanished, according to reports. That account, if accurate, would place her alive in the water well after the point at which concerns were first raised.
The circumstances of how she came to be in open water, and what happened in the hours that followed, remain unclear. What is established is that a North Carolina woman travelled to Grenada for a holiday and did not return from the sea near Grand Anse beach.
Husband says drowning is the likeliest explanation
Elizabeth Waddell's husband believes drowning is the most likely explanation for her disappearance in Grenada, he has said. But the timeline he described complicates that account.
According to her husband, Liz was reportedly seen alive more than four hours after she was initially believed to have vanished. He also said that jet skiers spoke with her in the ocean before she disappeared — an account that, if accurate, would place her alive and in contact with other people well after the point at which she was first thought to be missing.
The husband's account suggests she was in open water for an extended period, and that others on the water encountered her during that time. Those reported interactions are among the last known contacts with Waddell before she vanished.
His remarks came as the family grappled with the search effort in Grenada. The reported sightings and conversations he described have shaped how the family understands her final hours, even as the central question — what happened to her in the water — remains unanswered.
Reported video shows her swimming in open water
Surveillance footage reportedly captured Elizabeth Waddell swimming in open water on July 22, according to reports. The video has not been independently confirmed, but it appears to align with the account given by her husband, who said his wife was seen alive more than four hours after she was initially believed to have vanished.
Her husband also said jet skiers spoke with Waddell in the ocean before she disappeared, according to reports. If accurate, the reported footage and the jet skiers' account would extend the timeline of her final known movements well beyond the point at which she was first thought to have gone missing. Authorities in Grenada have continued searching the waters off Grand Anse beach, where she was last seen.
Family returns to the US as search continues
The family of Elizabeth Waddell flew back to the United States from Grenada while the search for the missing woman carried on without them. According to her husband, the family had done all they could in the search as they prepared to board their flight home, nine days after she vanished during a vacation on the Caribbean island.
Their departure leaves the effort to find Waddell, who is reported to be from Cary, North Carolina, in the hands of those still working in Grenada. What happened to her after she was last seen remains unknown. No confirmed trace of her has been reported, and the circumstances of her disappearance are still unresolved.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Elizabeth Waddell?
Elizabeth Waddell, known as Liz, is a woman from North Carolina who went missing while on vacation in Grenada. According to reports, she is from Cary, North Carolina. She disappeared during the trip, and a search for her continued even after her family returned to the United States.
What happened to Liz Waddell in Grenada?
Elizabeth Waddell went missing while on vacation in Grenada. Her husband said drowning is the most likely explanation for her disappearance. He also said she was reportedly seen alive more than four hours after she was initially believed to have vanished.
When was Elizabeth Waddell last seen?
According to her husband, jet skiers spoke with Elizabeth Waddell in the ocean before she vanished. Reports also say surveillance video captured her swimming in open water on July 22. Her husband said she was reportedly seen alive more than four hours after she was initially believed to have disappeared.
Has Elizabeth Waddell's family returned to the US?
Yes. Elizabeth Waddell's family returned to the United States from Grenada while the search for her continued. Her husband said the family had done all they could in the search as they prepared to fly back to the US, nine days after she vanished.
What do police and family think happened to Elizabeth Waddell?
Her husband said drowning is the most likely explanation for her disappearance. According to his account, she was seen in the ocean before she vanished, with reports indicating surveillance video captured her swimming in open water on July 22.
Compiled from reporting by 3 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.
