Body found after 21-year-old never got off birthday cruise on Mississippi River, cops say

A body was recovered from the Mississippi River two weeks after a 21-year-old woman went missing during a riverboat cruise, Tennessee police say.

The Memphis Police Department said in a Sept. 23 news release the body was found on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. Memphis officials said the department is assisting Arkansas’ Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation, with an autopsy pending to identify the deceased.

Taylor took a riverboat cruise down the Mississippi River with friends to celebrate her 21st birthday, ABC24 reported.

Taylor got on the boat the evening of Sept. 9, but after the boat docked at the end of the cruise, her friends couldn’t find her, Memphis police.

She was reported missing and a city watch was issued.

Memphis Riverboats issued a statement saying it had no reason to believe Taylor had gone overboard.

Now, Taylor’s family awaits the results of the autopsy. Memphis police declined to share further information about the identity of the person.

Taylor’s whereabouts are still unknown. Dock Ellis Foundation, an organization that says its mission is “empowering and bringing home missing, murdered and marginalized minority persons,” shared a statement on behalf of Taylor’s family.

“Tamia Taylor’s mother ask that the community please, don’t give up as the individual retrieved today has not been identified, but continue to pray either way,” the organization said. “We may not know if it’s Tamia, but it’s someone’s family member. The search must continue.”

The organization said it was aware a body had been found, asking anyone with information to come forward.

This story was originally published September 25, 2023 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Body found after 21-year-old never got off birthday cruise on Mississippi River, cops say."