A body pulled from the Mississippi River over the weekend has been officially identified as missing mother, Tamia Taylor, who vanished following a birthday celebration aboard the Queen Riverboat Cruise on September 9.
According to the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office and the Memphis Police Department said Taylor’s body was located on the Arkansas side of the river on Saturday, FOX13 reports. A representative for the family said the medical examiner ruled the death as drowning, although there were other factors classified as undetermined.
“She’s (Taylor’s mother) devastated. You have that type of hope that it’s not your loved one and you get the answer and it’s a different type of feeling. So right now, she’s overwhelmed and naturally (has) the feelings a mother would feel if they lose their daughter,” Jasmine Ellis, with the nonprofit Dock Ellis Foundation, said.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Taylor vanished after boarding the riverboat with friends at around 11:30 p.m. September 9. There are no cameras inside the boat, according to what an employee told WREG, but a golf cart taxi cab driver said he saw her on dry land following the cruise.
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.
Debra said earlier this month that Taylor’s friends have not provided any explanations for what happened, although one passenger on the boat said they saw her intoxicated by the bar area.
“When does the questioning begin?” Ellis asked.
“When do we start peeling back the layers of the individual who said he saw her get off the boat? When do we peel back the layers of the friends who were on the boat? When do we peel back those layers and even Tamia’s mother has said, ‘If that’s my child, this takes this to another dimension,’ and we’re there now. We’re there today.”
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode below.
[Feature Photo via Memphis PD]
