Bahamian authorities have recovered the phone of a Chicago woman who disappeared during a yoga retreat

Authorities in the Bahamas said Tuesday the search for an American woman who went missing from a yoga retreat was a top priority, following calls from friends and family for U.S. intervention.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement that it found the cellphone and other items belonging to Taylor Casey, 41, a Chicago resident who was last seen at a yoga retreat on Paradise Island on June 19.

The device was found in nearby waters, police said, and her journal and other personal items were also discovered as part of their response after Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas reported Casey missing on June 20.

Casey’s U.S. passport has not been found, police said.

She said she had deployed divers, drones, tracking dogs and agents based on Paradise Island as part of her ongoing search.

“This is a priority matter for the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and we will continue to work diligently, doing everything we can to locate Taylor and ensure his safe return to his family,” he said.

Also Tuesday, Chicago police issued a missing person alert for Casey, asking anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to get in touch.

Friends and family members had criticized Bahamian authorities and the shelter in a statement for what they called a covert investigation more concerned with preserving the destination’s idyllic image than leaving no stone unturned.

“The continued emphasis on not disturbing guests indicated that maintaining the tranquility and comfort of the tourist experience took priority over addressing the critical issue of Taylor’s disappearance,” the statement said.

The statement, posted on the Find Taylor Casey Facebook page, said Casey’s local missing persons flyer could not be found at the Paradise Island yoga retreat, immediately outside or at the nearest police station and that many of her travel companions were unaware of the case.

Casey’s mother, Colette Seymore, traveled to the Bahamas last week seeking answers and was told by police not to speak to guests at the retreat about the case, according to the statement released Monday.

Seymore and others traveling with her to help find Casey left the Bahamas earlier than planned due to safety concerns, the statement said.

This year, the U.S. State Department urged American visitors to the Bahamas to “exercise increased caution.”

Nassau, which borders Paradise Island, has been plagued by murders, robberies and gang crime. The State Department has urged American travelers to “keep a low profile.”

Last week, Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas said in a statement that it had notified police of Casey’s disappearance after she failed to show up for a yoga class on June 20 and that she had been “cooperating” with authorities.

Jonathan Goldbloom, a spokesman for the retreat, said Tuesday that the organization had cooperated fully with police and the family and encouraged guests to speak.

“We are all deeply saddened by Taylor’s passing and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” he said via email. “With that in mind, I want to let you know that we did our best to provide Taylor’s mother and friends with support and comfort during their stay in the Bahamas last week.”

Friends and family members have asked U.S. authorities to take over the case, but that seems unlikely given the Bahamas’ sovereign jurisdiction. A State Department spokesman said it was working closely with Bahamian authorities on the case. The FBI declined to comment.

Casey traveled to the retreat — part of a global Sivananda yoga organization with locations in India, France, Austria, New York and California — to take classes at her home in her quest for physical and mental well-being through yoga, friends and family said.

“I had to go home without her,” Seymore said in a statement released Monday. “It’s every mother’s worst nightmare.”