Family of Cary mom missing in Grenada leaving island after numerous searches

CARY, N.C. (WNCN) — The family of a missing Cary mother is leaving the island on Friday after several searches to find her following her disappearance last week.

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Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, 44, was last seen on Wednesday, July 22, at Grand Anse Beach in the capital city of St. George’s, according to the Royal Grenada Police Force.

Her husband, Cailen Waddell, who works as a Cary town operations manager, and several friends traveled to Grenada soon after she was reported missing.

Surveillance video taken the day of Waddell’s disappearance shows her walking towards a jetty just after 11:30 a.m. and was on the jetty about 10 minutes later, according to police. Just after noon, she was seen swimming, and police believe she might have disappeared while swimming.

Cailen and police have said Waddell’s disappearance has no signs of foul play.

“The family will travel home today, Friday, July 31. We have done what we can here, and the investigation will continue,” Cailen said Friday on a website created to help find his wife.

The husband thanked many for their help during the last week he was in Grenada, including police, island residents, and hundreds who contributed through GoFundMe.

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“On a more personal note, I am simply not ready to write about all the things Liz means to me,” Cailen wrote. ” We met in 2003 at American Dance Festival in Durham and have been together ever since. I realized this year that Liz and I have been together longer in life than we have been apart. We balance each other, and that makes for a great partnership.”

Waddell is a physical therapist who runs her business, Art of Movement, out of her home. Her husband, Cailen, is an operations manager for the Town of Cary’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources.

Ten of Elizabeth’s friends and family were on the island during the week to help in the search, her sister said.

Elizabeth’s sister, Anna Watkins, left Grenada on Thursday, according to the website dedicated to the search.

“Today I leave Grenada with a broken heart,” Anna Watkins wrote. “While the missing person investigation remains open, I am grieving. I am devastated, my heart hurts, and the world around me feels like a blur.”

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