Full Breakdown
North Carolina Mom Missing in Grenada: Search Centers on Final Swim
7/31/2026, 2:12:57 AM
Core Event
Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, a 44-year-old mother from Cary, North Carolina, vanished while on vacation in Grenada. Surveillance footage captured her walking toward Grand Anse Beach’s pier and entering the water on July 22. She was last seen swimming away from the pier; no video shows her returning. Her friend found only a towel on the pier, and a missing-persons report was filed that afternoon. Grenadian authorities have not ruled out foul play but are focusing on reconstructing her movements in the hours before she disappeared.
Timeline
- July 11 – Waddell arrived in Grenada with a friend and stayed ten days at a western-side resort.
- July 21 – The pair moved to a new Airbnb in the south of the island.
- July 22 – Waddell was recorded swimming near Grand Anse Beach; she disappears thereafter.
- July 24 – Husband Cailen Waddell traveled to Grenada to assist the search.
- July 28 – Cailen reported that he had swum the same waters, describing the conditions as “shallow… like a lake.”
Official Statements & Responses
Grenadian Acting Police Commissioner Randy Connaught said investigators have received several eyewitness accounts confirming Waddell was in open water and noted the lack of footage showing her exit. He emphasized the search’s reliance on “every detail” from surveillance and witnesses. Cailen Waddell, speaking on the family’s FindLiz.com site, said he consulted family, local authorities, the U.S. He thanked volunteers and urged privacy for his family while requesting any information about the missing woman.
Verbatim Quotes
- “After careful and thoughtful consultation with family, local authorities, the U.S. Embassy, and others here in Grenada, I join authorities in believing there was no foul play,” — Cailen Waddell, the husband of Elizabeth Waddell
- “It is easy, there are lots of rocks you can stop at if you need. The water is shallower near shore, where Liz could touch if she wanted and the water is like a lake, not like ocean water we experience in North Carolina.” — Police Acting Police Commissioner, of Police Randy Connaught of the Royal Grenada Police Force
- “Investigators have also received several eyewitness accounts indicating that she was swimming in the open water,” — Randy Connaught, acting police commissioner
- “She was starting to panic because she knew Liz didn’t have her phone or anything with her,” — Amanda Romano-Harmon
- “As some friends and family begin returning home to start processing everything that has occurred, we want to thank our friends and family as well as the local authorities for their compassionate, and tireless efforts to locate Liz.” — Cailen Waddell, the husband of Elizabeth Waddell
What’s Next
Grenadian police continue to appeal for tips, urging anyone with information to call 911 or the Royal Grenada Police Force. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support the ongoing search effort.
