Husband says no foul play in North Carolina woman's Grenada disappearance

Cailen Waddell said Wednesday he believes there was no foul play in the disappearance of his wife, Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, who vanished while swimming off Grand Anse Beach in Grenada. The 44-year-old Cary, North Carolina, woman was last seen on July 22 at the beach on Grenada’s south coast, and police said surveillance video appears to show her entering the water but not returning to shore.

The Royal Grenada Police Force said Waddell was last seen going out for a swim and was not seen coming back from the water. After reviewing the footage, officers expanded their public appeal and asked fishermen, boat operators and residents along the southern coast to help in the search.

Cailen Waddell traveled to Grenada to help look for his wife. In a statement, he said his family believes “there was no foul play” and that the investigation should focus on tracing her movements in the hours before she disappeared. That position from the family has become one part of a case that remains centered on surveillance, eyewitness accounts and the open water off Grand Anse Beach.

The disappearance has drawn attention in Cary because Liz Waddell worked there as a physical therapist and taught fitness classes. Local coverage also identified her as the wife of a Cary town employee, and some reports identified Cailen Waddell as a Cary operations manager.

Police in Grenada had not announced a cause for Waddell’s disappearance in the latest reports, and the case remained a missing person investigation. For Waddell’s family, the gap between what the video appears to show and what investigators can prove has defined the search since her last sighting on the island.