The husband of missing Cary woman Liz Waddell says drowning may be the most likely explanation for her disappearance, according to a statement released Thursday.
Cailen Waddell shared an update on the website dedicated to finding Liz, saying the family has no confirmed information about her after a reported sighting in the water off Grand Anse in Grenada the day she disappeared.
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The people who reported seeing Liz around 5:30 p.m. on the day of her disappearance were a family on personal watercraft who told the Waddell family they spoke with her for five to 10 minutes and tried to convince her to leave the water. According to Cailen Waddell, the woman in the water said, "I'm a good swimmer," and gave them a thumbs up.
The family thinks the person they saw was most likely Liz. They took the Waddell family on a boat and showed them the approximate location of the sighting, according to Cailen Waddell said.
The family reported a woman was floating and treading water about one-third mile from the shore in roughly 17 feet of water, he said.
Cailen Waddell said his wife was not a strong swimmer and was most comfortable with a flotation device. She brought four flotation devices with her to Grenada and used at least two earlier in the trip, he said.
"Based on everything we know, it seems drowning may be the most likely scenario," he wrote. "That said, a lot about this doesn't make sense to us."
Among the questions about Liz Waddell's disappearance is how she could have reached the location where she was reportedly seen. She was captured on camera jumping into the water around 12:04 p.m., and her husband said he does not think she could have spent the next 5.5 hours swimming.
Search teams have searched the coastline and surrounding area by boat and drone, as well as Mount Harmon National Park and several other wooded areas. Cailen Waddell said the Royal Grenada Police Force still has an active missing persons investigation.
The family has reviewed Liz's journal, emails, text messages, WhatsApp and YouTube history, and did not find any evidence that she was trying to hurt herself, he said. On the contrary, her journal entries were about her growth and future plans involving her family.
"If Liz swam out there, in my heart I believe something happened that made her not act rationally," he wrote. "The Liz I love, and have known for 23 years, would not swim where she swam."
Now, the family is searching for evidence of where Liz Waddell was in the afternoon between 12:04 and 5:30 p.m. the day of her disappearance.
Anyone who has seen Elizabeth Waddell or has information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the St. George Police Station at 473-444-4454, the Criminal Investigation Department at 473-440-3921 or 911. Authorities are also asking business operators, residents and anyone along the island’s southern coastline to report information that could assist in the search.
