North Carolina physical therapist disappears in the Caribbean as husband pleads for ‘safe return’

A North Carolina woman vanished while visiting the Caribbean Island nation of Grenada as her husband pleaded for “nothing less than her safe return.”
Elizabeth “Liz” Waddell, 44, disappeared while staying at the picturesque, white sand beach resort neighborhood of Grand Anse in the capital of St. George’s, the Royal Grenada Police Force said Thursday.
Waddell, who is married to Cailen Waddell — an operations manager for the department of parks, recreation, and cultural resources in Cary, NC — was last seen on Grand Anse Beach at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Officials launched a missing persons search for Waddell, making a specific appeal for fishermen, boat operators and residents living on the southern coastline to be on the lookout for her and report any sightings.
Waddell, who was pictured sporting short pink hair in the missing persons notice, was described as having short blonde hair with a medium build, police said.
She is said to be about 5 feet tall despite the official press release stating she was 5-foot-5, WTVD reported.
Cailen Waddell shared a desperate plea for his wife Friday morning.
“Facebook Friends. My wife Liz is missing in Grenada. If any of you have connections to the island – can you please share the following with your contacts there?” he wrote 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 sent your love, light, thoughts, and prayers our way,” he said.
Waddell graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy before opening the Art of Movement Physical Therapy in Cary, where she combined her decade of physical therapy experience and over two decades of experience in fitness and dance.
Her bio states she enjoys staying active, including pole dancing, CrossFit, hiking, traveling, and taking walks with her husband around their hometown of Cary.
Waddell’s Facebook account was filled with photos from various international trips, including to Mexico and Thailand, spending time with her husband, Cailen, and their adopted adult daughter, Suwan.
Her last post, on May 22, gave a “Liz health update” where she shared she was being treated for “long-COVID/post-viral and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with a root cause of endometriosis & perimenopause insanity.”
Waddell said her symptoms, which she began experiencing last September, forced her to stop working and going to the gym, and spending a majority of her days sleeping.
Her latest update said she was improving and slowly getting back to a more consistent work schedule.
Grenada officials did not provide any additional information on her disappearance.