Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, a 44-year-old physical therapist, wife, and mother from Cary, North Carolina, remains missing more than five days after she was last seen entering the water at Grand Anse Beach on the Caribbean island of Grenada. What began as a relaxed afternoon during a multi-week vacation with a close friend has turned into an international missing-person case involving local police, divers, university volunteers, family members who have traveled to the island, and appeals for information from boaters and coastal residents. Despite extensive efforts, no confirmed sighting of Waddell has been reported since she floated out of view of a surveillance camera on the afternoon of July 22, 2026.

Waddell arrived in Grenada with her longtime friend Heather Poole for what was intended to be a restorative getaway. The two women were staying at the Hideaway Waterfront Apartments in the Grand Anse area of St. George’s, a popular stretch known for its wide white-sand beach and relatively calm turquoise water. On the day she disappeared, Waddell left the Airbnb around midday wearing only a swimsuit and carrying a towel. She left behind her phone, identification, shoes, and other personal items. According to family friend and spokesperson Amanda Romano-Harmon, Poole was occupied with an online course at the time. When Poole finished and looked for Waddell, she could no longer see her near the pool area that overlooked the bay. Poole went outside and eventually found Waddell’s towel on a pier. Hours pᴀssed with no return. Poole contacted Waddell’s husband, Cailen, and then reported her missing to local authorities.

Surveillance footage later recovered by the Royal Grenada Police Force has become one of the few concrete pieces of visual evidence in the case. The video, captured by a camera at a nearby bar and grill oriented toward the pier, shows Waddell walking to the structure, entering the water, swimming and floating for a period, and then drifting out of the camera’s frame. Romano-Harmon has described the footage as the last known images of Waddell. Police have not released the video publicly. Family members place the last sighting between approximately noon and 1 p.m. local time, though some initial police communications referenced a later hour in the afternoon or evening. The discrepancy has not been fully clarified in public statements.

Cailen Waddell, who works as an operations manager for the Town of Cary’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, immediately began making public appeals and arranged to travel to Grenada. In a Facebook post that circulated widely, he asked anyone with connections to the island to share information and stated that he expected nothing less than his wife’s safe return. He has described Liz as a loving, free-spirited person who could make friends with almost anyone and who placed high value on her intuition about people. Friends and family have echoed that characterization, calling her the type of person who would give the shirt off her back and who built a life centered on helping others through her work as a physical therapist.

Waddell earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and later founded Art of Movement Physical Therapy in Cary. Colleagues and clients have described her practice as blending clinical expertise with a strong emphasis on movement, fitness, and dance background that spanned more than two decades. The sudden absence of someone known for her energy and community presence has deepened the sense of urgency among those who know her in North Carolina.

The Royal Grenada Police Force issued a formal missing-person alert and specifically called on fishermen, boat operators, and residents living along the southern coastline to report any sightings or information that might ᴀssist the search. Officials described Waddell as approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall with a medium build and short blonde hair, though some family descriptions have noted her height as closer to 5 feet and referenced pH๏τographs in which her hair appears pink. Search operations have included police officers, professional divers, and volunteers from St. George’s University. The U.S. State Department has confirmed it is aware of the reports of a missing American citizen in Grenada and is monitoring the situation.

Family and friends have stressed that Waddell did not take her phone with her when she left the Airbnb. This detail directly undercuts circulating social-media claims that a “final text” has become a critical piece of the investigative timeline. Multiple accounts from people close to the family state that she went to the beach in only a swimsuit and towel, leaving all electronic devices and identification behind. No verified reporting from outlets that have spoken with the family or local authorities has produced evidence of a last message sent from her phone that day. The absence of the phone has complicated efforts to reconstruct her precise movements after she entered the water, leaving investigators reliant on the surveillance footage, witness statements, and physical searches of the coastline and surrounding waters.

The geography of Grand Anse Beach and the adjacent waters has shaped the search strategy. The beach itself is a long, open stretch popular with both tourists and locals. Currents in the area can vary, and the proximity to boat traffic has led police to focus attention on the possibility that Waddell may have been carried farther from shore than initially expected. Appeals to mariners reflect the hope that someone on the water may have seen her after she left the camera’s view. Divers have examined areas near the pier and along the southern coast, while shoreline teams have checked for any physical evidence that might indicate where she came ashore or encountered difficulty.

Romano-Harmon has described the disappearance as baffling. She noted that Waddell was a strong swimmer and that the decision to go into the water alone for a short swim did not, on its face, appear unusually risky. The combination of the towel left on the pier, the surveillance images showing her entering the water voluntarily, and the complete lack of subsequent contact has left the family searching for any detail that might explain what happened next. Cailen Waddell and other relatives who have joined him in Grenada have participated in search efforts and maintained close communication with local police. Friends in North Carolina have organized support networks and continued to amplify the call for information.

As the days have lengthened, the emotional toll on the family has been evident in public statements. Cailen has spoken of his wife’s capacity for connection and her instinct to help others. Romano-Harmon has emphasized that no detail is too small and that the family is determined not to leave any possibility unexamined. The involvement of university students alongside professional search teams reflects both the scale of the effort and the community response on the island.

The case has drawn coverage in both the United States and the Caribbean, with outlets focusing on the timeline of the last known movements, the content of the surveillance video, the decision to leave the phone behind, and the ongoing multi-agency search. Initial reports contained minor inconsistencies regarding the exact time Waddell was last seen and her physical description, but subsequent accounts from family spokespersons have provided a clearer sequence: departure from the Airbnb around midday, presence on the pier and in the water captured on camera, and the discovery of the towel after she failed to return.

Investigators continue to appeal for information from anyone who may have been on or near Grand Anse Beach or the adjacent waters on the afternoon of July 22. Fishermen and recreational boaters remain a particular focus because of the possibility that Waddell could have been carried by currents into areas farther from the main beach. The absence of her phone means there is no GPS trail or communication log to narrow the search window after she entered the water, making human observation and physical recovery efforts all the more critical.

Waddell’s professional life in Cary centered on helping patients regain movement and strength. Friends have described her as someone who brought energy and empathy into her clinical work and personal relationships. That reputation has fueled the intensity of the response among those who knew her, many of whom have expressed disbelief that a routine afternoon swim could result in her complete disappearance. The family has maintained hope for a safe return while acknowledging the difficulty of the prolonged uncertainty.

As of the most recent updates, the search remains active. Police, divers, and volunteers continue to examine coastal areas and open water. Family members on the island are working alongside local authorities and urging anyone with even fragmentary information to come forward. The surveillance footage of Waddell entering the water and drifting out of view stands as the last confirmed visual record of her movements. Everything after that point remains unknown.

The disappearance of Elizabeth Waddell has highlighted both the suddenness with which a person can vanish in an open-water environment and the challenges of conducting a search across coastline and sea without the benefit of electronic tracking data. Her decision to leave her phone behind, while understandable for a short swim, has left investigators without one of the tools most commonly used in modern missing-person cases. The combination of the towel on the pier, the camera images, and the complete lack of subsequent contact has produced a narrow but incomplete window into her final known actions.

Friends and family continue to describe Waddell as a person of warmth, resilience, and connection. Those qualities have animated the public appeals and the determination of those searching for her. Whether new information emerges from boaters, coastal residents, or further analysis of the area around Grand Anse Beach will determine the next phase of the effort. For now, the focus remains on locating Elizabeth Waddell and bringing her home.