North Carolina woman vanishes after swim on Grenada beach vacation

An American woman has gone missing while vacationing in Grenada and her loved ones are pleading for help finding her. Elizabeth Waddell, 44, of Cary, North Carolina, was last seen at Grand Anse Beach on Wednesday, the Royal Grenada Police Force said in a missing person alert issued Thursday. She had been staying at Grand Anse, a popular tourist destination known for its white sand and turquoise water, in St. George, the nation’s capital. Police asked fishermen, boat operators and residents along the southern coastline to report any sightings of Waddell. She is described as medium build, 5-foot-5, with short blond hair. A State Department spokesperson said the agency is aware of reports that Waddell is missing in Grenada. Her husband, Cailen Waddell, pleaded for help on Facebook. “Liz went missing in the afternoon on Wednesday. I am on my way there now to help search. I expect nothing less than Liz’s safe return — so please send your love, light, thoughts, and prayers our way,” he wrote. NBC News has reached out to the family’s spokesperson. Anyone with information on Waddell’s whereabouts is asked to contact the South Saint George Police Station. Waddell is the founder of Art of Movement Physical Therapy. She was vacationing with a friend, and the two were staying at an Airbnb when Waddell went for a swim and did not return, Amanda Romano-Harmon, a longtime friend of Waddell’s, told NBC affiliate WRAL-TV of Raleigh. “Cailen was here working, and he got the phone call from her friend on Wednesday that Liz was missing. ... She hadn’t seen her for a few hours. She was starting to panic because she knew Liz didn’t have her phone or anything with her, and so they wound up filing a missing persons report right away,” Romano-Harmon said. Waddell’s friend was taking an online course at the Airbnb when Waddell went for a swim Wednesday. “She had her swimsuit on, and she went outside their Airbnb,” Romano-Harmon said. “They had a pool that overlooked the bay. Liz was set up out there just sightseeing from the pool, and her friend was taking her online course. When she got through with her course, she looked up and she didn’t see Liz outside, so she went outside to walk around and see where she went, and she saw her towel down on the pier. So the only thing we can think is maybe she went for a swim.” Romano-Harmon described Waddell as an adventurer who loves to travel, hike and meet new people.