The Memphis Police Department has confirmed the discovery of the body of a 21-year-old woman, who had been missing since her birthday celebration on a riverboat cruise on September 9, 2023.
Tamia Taylor came to Memphis to mark her 21st birthday with friends. The initial police release detailed that Taylor boarded the Island Queen Booze Cruise around 11:30 pm on that fateful Saturday evening. However, her companions couldn’t locate her after the boat docked and everyone disembarked.
Alarmed by her sudden disappearance, Taylor’s mother drove to Memphis after numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach her daughter via phone and lodged a missing person report.
In a subsequent update, the Memphis Police Department mentioned they were working closely with the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department to examine a body that was found on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River on September 23.
The police department later verified that the recovered body was positively identified as Taylor.
Local media outlets have reported the Crittenden County coroner’s findings, indicating that Taylor’s death resulted from drowning.
However, the circumstances that led Taylor to enter the water remain ambiguous.
Prior to the discovery, Memphis Riverboats, in a statement, expressed that they had no indications to suspect that Taylor might have gone overboard. The company provided evidence to support their statement, noting: “We can confirm from video footage that she was last seen as the vessel approached the Harbor, where we dock.”
The investigation into Taylor’s drowning continues.