A Midnight Booze Cruise employee in Memphis reportedly said that there were no security cameras on the riverboat that missing mother Tamia Taylor was on before vanishing.
Although the employee told WREG that there were no cameras inside the boat she was on, representatives with the riverboat company said they do not believe 24-year-old Taylor went overboard Saturday night. The company reportedly made the determination after watching social media posts.
“We can confirm from video footage circling around that she was last seen on the boat as the boat was pulling into the Harbor, where we dock our boats. We have no reason to believe she could have gone overboard and we will be respecting MPD as they conduct their investigation. We hope she is found safe and returns home,” the company said in a statement.
WREG also spoke with a woman who saw an “extremely intoxicated” Taylor on the boat, standing alone near the bar. The cruise company added that she made it back to the harbor, while a golf cart taxi driver said he saw her on Riverside Drive, with two men and a woman after the cruise ended.
“She was intoxicated, very intoxicated, and she was with some other people,” driver Jay Munn told Fox 13. “Everybody seemed happy. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”
Munn said he spotted Taylor with a man and two women but couldn’t give them a ride because he already picked up other passengers. He later headed back to the riverboat area and asked Taylor’s group if they still needed a ride, but they declined.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, do you guys need a ride?’” Munn said. “They were like, ‘No, we’re good, we’re straight.’ From that point, I just went on and found somebody else that needed a ride.”
“My heart goes out to the family. I just wish there was something more that could have been done. Hindsight is 20/20.”
Taylor’s mother, Debra, told FOX13 that her daughter arrived in Memphis Saturday night for her 21st birthday. She planned to celebrate with friends and then went on the riverboat cruise on Beale Street at 11:30 p.m.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, do you guys need a ride?’” Munn said. “They were like, ‘No, we’re good, we’re straight.’ From that point, I just went on and found somebody else that needed a ride.”
“My heart goes out to the family. I just wish there was something more that could have been done. Hindsight is 20/20.”
Debra said earlier this week that Taylor’s friends have not provided any explanations for what happened.
“I said, ‘What do you mean you don’t know?’ She [Taylor’s friend] said, ‘We don’t know. We lost her.’ How do you lose somebody that you came with?’”
“She then gave me the story, ‘We were on the boat. We were getting out of the boat and Tamia says she had to go to the bathroom. She put her phone down to go back up to the second floor to use the bathroom. We picked up her phone. We went to the door to stand and wait on her and then we left.’”
Meanwhile, 12 News reports that the US Coast Guard has joined in the search. The agency is reportedly providing an “advanced modeling system” to help locate her.
Taylor is described as a Black female who stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs around 125 pounds. She was last seen wearing a beige shirt, white shorts, white shoes, and a black jacket.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Memphis Police at 901-545-2677.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo via Memphis PD]
