American woman goes missing while vacationing in Grenada, urgent search underway

The Royal Grenada Police Force issued a missing-person alert Thursday for Elizabeth Waddell, a 44-year-old from Cary, North Carolina, after she was last seen at Grand Anse Beach in St. George on Wednesday, July 22. Police placed her at the Grand Anse area around 8 a.m., and her family said she went down to the water for a swim before disappearing.

The search drew in Waddell’s husband, Cailen Waddell, who works as an operations manager for the Cary Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources and flew to Grenada to help look for her. Family and friends described Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell as “loving and free-spirited” and, in later appeals, as an “amazing person.” Elizabeth Waddell is a U.S. citizen.

Authorities focused their attention on the island’s southern coastline after the police alert, asking fishermen and boat operators to keep watch for any sign of Waddell and to report information that might help investigators.

In Grenada, the Royal Grenada Police Force is leading the effort, which means U.S. officials have limited leverage and must work through Grenadian authorities rather than direct the operation themselves. The standard first step is to report the missing person to local police, then contact the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Citizen Services at 1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. or Canada, or +1-202-501-4444 from elsewhere. Consular officers can help family members reach the right officials and relay information.