THE worried friend of missing American tourist Elizabeth Waddell still has hope they will be reunited after she vanished on a vacation in the Caribbean.

Waddell, 44, a physical therapist from Cary, North Carolina, has been missing since July 22, when she disappeared during a trip to Grenada.

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Waddell was last seen heading out for a solo swim by the pier on July 22

Liz’s friend Amanda Romano-Harmon is desperate for answers as the search continues

Liz Waddell’s husband Cailen has traveled to Grenada to help search for his missing wife

Commissioner Andy Randy Connaught gave an update on the missing person’s case in a press conference on Tuesday

Her final moments were captured on surveillance footage, according to Grenada police, who said cameras showed Liz entering the water at Grand Anse Beach at around 11:51 am.

Investigators said the footage showed her swimming beneath a jetty about 13 minutes later – but she was never seen returning from the water.

Police have also received eyewitness accounts from people who saw her swimming in the area.

Authorities said they will not release the surveillance video publicly at this stage but could do so later if they believe it would assist the investigation.

Commissioner Randy Connaught confirmed during a press conference that the FBI is assisting, particularly with reviewing the video evidence.

As the search continues, Liz’s loved ones are facing the devastating possibility that she may have drowned, while still desperately hoping she somehow made it out of the water.

Amanda Romano-Harmon, who has known Liz and her family for nearly 25 years, said the family is struggling through the emotional toll of the search.

“We’re trying to take it moment by moment right now,” Amanda told The U.S. Sun.

“It’s quite, you know, emotional and fatiguing, as you can imagine.”

Amanda said she understands Liz could not have survived in the water for this long.

“I hope she got out of the water,” the heartbroken friend said.

“I don’t think the Navy Seals could withstand the water for this long, treading that kind of water.”

Amanda stressed that she does not want to speculate about what happened and is still holding onto hope that Liz may be found alive.

“I mean, it would be speculation,” she said.

Grenada Police continue to hand out missing person’s flyers as they look for Liz Waddell

“I hope she got out of the water. I hope that there wasn’t an undertow or anything that was too strong that day.”

She added, “The bay is pretty shallow and the conditions supposedly were calm that day.”

Liz, an adventurous traveler, was visiting the island with her friend Heather when she disappeared during what was supposed to be a dream three-week getaway.

“She has the adventure bug, and she’s a free spirit and she’s very curious,” Amanda said.

According to Amanda, Liz had gone outside in her swimsuit with a towel while Heather finished an online course at their Airbnb overlooking the bay.

“She was in a swimsuit and had a towel,” she said.

“The Airbnb overlooked the bay. And so she went out. And I guess she was going to hang out there until Heather finished her online coursework.”

When Heather later looked outside and could not see Liz, she went searching for her.

She found only Liz’s towel left behind on the pier, while her phone and other belongings remained inside the Airbnb.

“She went out to walk about and see if she could find her, and all she found was her towel that was on the pier,” Amanda said.

“She went back to the Airbnb, realized Liz didn’t have her phone or any of that with her, it was all in her room, and got worried.”

Liz was reported missing to Grenada police, who launched a search involving multiple agencies and local volunteers.

Amanda also pushed back on reports circulating online that Liz had gone swimming at 8 pm, insisting it was around 1pm.

“She was out in broad daylight in the middle of the afternoon,” she clarified, adding that it was a popular spot for tourists to go swimming.

Amanda said family and friends have traveled to Grenada to help with the search, while authorities and locals have been working to find answers.

“They’ve checked all the hospitals on the island, they’ve checked places that they visited prior the week that they were there on the island,” she said.

“They’re checking places that she kind of had on her list of where she wanted to go while she was visiting the island.”

The Coast Guard has been involved, with divers searching the area for several days.

Amanda said local tour operators have also joined the effort.

“They’ve had divers out for a few days, and even one of the glass bottom boat excursion companies there, their boat operators just took the boats out and have been searching for her as well,” she said.

“We’re grateful for that.”

Police are also investigating an unconfirmed report that someone may have seen a woman matching Liz’s description.

“We have an unconfirmed tip that we received that somebody possibly saw someone who looked like her on Friday night in front of a grocery store,” Amanda said.

“Again, that is unconfirmed. And police are pulling surveillance for that.”

Before the trip, Amanda said Liz had been excited to explore Grenada with Heather.

The pair regularly traveled together, choosing different islands to experience local culture, food and scenery.

“She was really looking forward to exploring Grenada and seeing their cultures and everything and just being immersed with the people,” Amanda said.

“She was definitely interested in the food scene.”

Now, her friends and family are pleading for information that could help bring her home.

“Liz, we’re searching,” Amanda said in a message directly to her friend.

“We’re doing everything we can. We’re throwing everything we can at it.

“If you can hear us, know that we’re looking for you and we want to bring you home, just come home to us.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16760043/elizabeth-waddell-missing-grenada-vacation-friend-fears/