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Body found after 21-year-old goes missing from mississippi riverboat birthday cruise: ‘this is very traumatic’.

A body has been recovered in the Mississippi River near the area where a 21-year-old woman went missing while out on a riverboat birthday cruise, police said.

Tamia Taylor disappeared following a party boat celebration for her 21st birthday on Sept. 9, where she was last seen mingling with partygoers aboard a Memphis Riverboats cruise, ABC 24 reports.

More than two weeks later, Memphis police and the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office reported finding a body on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River .

Further details on the recovered body have not been publicly shared. Officials are awaiting an autopsy report.

The Dock Ellis Foundation, a nonprofit that aids in the search for missing women of color, said Taylor’s family is wishing for a negative result as they desperately hold out hope that the 21-year-old is still alive somewhere.

“This is very traumatic to Tamia Taylor’s family, they are still standing on faith and ask that the community do the same,” the foundation said in a Facebook post. “Tamia Taylor’s mother is standing in faith and will not give up.”

The family’s nightmare began when Taylor failed to return from a Midnight Booze Cruise operated by Memphis Riverboats.

The company has said there is no evidence that Taylor fell overboard during the night’s festivities, claiming she was seen as the boat pulled into the harbor.

Video taken on the boat just past midnight shows Taylor partying on the boat before it returned to its docking station in Memphis.

Taylor’s mother, Debra, said the cruise would have concluded at 1:30 a.m. Sept. 10.

A few hours later, Debra received a call that Taylor was missing, with the frightened mom calling the police around 5 a.m., according to the Dock Ellis Foundation.

“Until identification is done, we can’t be sure of anything,” Jasmine Ellis, the foundation’s CEO, told the local outlet. “It’s that awkward silence when everybody is at a standstill, hoping for the best.”

Memphis police and the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

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Loved ones remember 21-year-old who drowned during birthday celebration on Memphis Riverboat Cruise

M EMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Monday marks one year since a 21-year-old Mid-South mother boarded a Memphis Riverboat Cruise with three work friends to celebrate her birthday.

Sixteen days later, police recovered Tamia Taylor’s body from the Mississippi River.

One year later, friends and family are remembering the beloved mother of two who was last seen celebrating her birthday on September 9, 2023.

“She was not doing anything wrong. She was celebrating her birthday just like everybody else does, and she just didn’t make it back to us,” said Tamia’s mother Debra Taylor.

PRIOR COVERAGE — ‘It’s hurtful’: 21-year-old Tamia Taylor still missing after week-long search

No criminal charges have been filed in her death. In documents obtained by Action News 5, authorities said “they believe she fell overboard.”

Answers surrounding her daughter’s death are something Tamia’s mother believes is best left in the hands of a higher power.

“I have learned that no matter how hard the situation may be, if you just keep your faith and trust in God, as hard as it may be, still go forward,” said Debra.

The Arkansas State Crime Lab medical examiner ruled Tamia’s death as a drowning, but her mom is using her daughter’s story to share this message:

“Be more aware of your surroundings, and most importantly, if you don’t know God, get to know God, because once again, when man says ‘no,’ he can say ‘yes.’ So just because it happened to my daughter, it doesn’t mean that it was meant for me. I’m the messenger and I just hope the people got it,” said Debra.

What led to Tamia going overboard is still unclear.

MPD is still asking anyone who might have any information from that night to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

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Woman’s Body Found 2 Weeks After She Disappeared from Riverboat Cruise While Celebrating 21st Birthday

Tamia Taylor went missing after coming to Memphis to celebrate her birthday with friends on Sept. 9, police said

Tamia Taylor/Facebook

The body of a 21-year-old woman who went missing along the Mississippi River while on a riverboat birthday cruise earlier this month has been discovered, according to police.

Tamia Taylor vanished after coming to Memphis to celebrate her birthday with friends on Sept. 9, the Memphis Police Department said in their initial news release .

"Miss Taylor boarded the Island Queen Booze Cruise at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, September 9, 2023, but was not seen by her companions after the boat returned to the dock and everyone offloaded," police wrote in the Sept. 12 release. "There were two exits on the boat for patrons to offload at the conclusion of the ride." 

"Early Sunday morning, Miss Taylor's mother drove to Memphis to file a missing person report after several unsuccessful attempts were made to contact her by phone," police added.

The Memphis Police Department said in a release on Saturday that police were "assisting the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department in the investigation of a body that was recovered on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River."

On Wednesday, the department confirmed to PEOPLE that the 21-year-old's body had been found and positively identified. 

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter   to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Police said Wednesday that they are awaiting autopsy results, but ABC affiliate WATN-TV and Fox affiliate WHBQ-TV reported that the Crittenden County coroner confirmed her death was due to drowning.

What preceded Taylor entering the water remains unclear at this time. PEOPLE could not immediately reach the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

In a previous statement , Memphis Riverboats said they had "no reason to believe she could have gone overboard."

"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," they wrote. "We hope she is found safe and returns home."

The Dock Ellis Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the families of missing minority women, said on Facebook on Tuesday that it was "truly heartbroken" by the tragic discovery.

"Debra Taylor and her family are truly [grateful] for your thoughts and prayers," the foundation added. "Dock Ellis Foundation is asking everyone to please allow the family time to heal. We will all carry Tamia Taylor in our hearts."

"Tamia Taylor your life we honour, your departure we accept, your memory we cherish," the organization continued. "And although there is grief today as we say goodbye, there is gratitude for your life."

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Dinner & Music Cruise

Come enjoy a two-hour cruise on Ol’ Man River featuring our Live Entertainment (Blues & Jazz) and a meal. Advance reservations suggested for this evening Memphis cruise! If you are celebrating a Birthday, Anniversary or want to make your night special, check out our celebration package add-ons! You will see them on our check out page.

• Boards at 7 p.m
• Departs at 7:30 p.m.
• Cruise returns at 9:30 p.m.
• We have a full bar on board for purchase of alcohol. This is NOT included in your ticket price. The bar accepts cash & card.

Memphis-style Pulled Pork BBQ, Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast, Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese, House Salad, Buns and Dessert. Complimentary tea and water. All Dinner & Music Cruises have the same menu. We do not offer substitutions. This is a one-trip meal served by our staff behind the food service area due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Disclaimer: We run our Dinner Cruises on two different boats with two different layouts. Please let us know if you are handicap so we can recommend the boat that has the dining area on the first floor (Island Queen) before booking at 901-527-2628. If you cannot select Island Queen boat upon booking, it is most likely not available. You must also mark “handicap acccessible seating” upon checkout to ensure we assign you proper seating arrangements. Dinner Cruises typically sell out at least a week in advance. All tickets must be paid for at the time of reservation, in full.

Boarding Location: 45 S. Riverside Drive Memphis, TN 38103

Parking is not on site.  The closest parking to our boarding location is  ACROSS THE STREET  from 119 N Riverside Drive Memphis, TN 38103. GPS will bring you to the TN Welcome Center but  DO NOT PARK THERE . You will see a “Riverboat Parking Sign” at the entrance of the fenced in lot directly across the street from the Welcome Center. This is a paid parking lot. To park here you will use the instructions on the signs throughout the parking lot to pay on the parking app or you may pay at the kiosk. We do not own this lot.  Once you park you will take the sidewalk South towards the boats. You will pass the River Garden Park on the left before you will be able to physically see the boats on the river. The boats are located at the intersection of Riverside & Monroe. You will see the ramp that goes into the Cobblestone Landing at the top of the hill at Riverside & Monroe where the metal gate is. THIS IS A 8-10 MINUTE WALK. If you have any guests who require assistance due to a disability or handicap, please drop them off at the boarding location BEFORE parking. You may drive down the cobblestones to the ramp for easier access. Please be mindful of not blocking the walkway to get onto the dock while doing so. This is ONLY for drop off purposes.

There is no dress code but most our of guests dress casually – semi-formal.

We do not offer group discounts. If you are booking a large group by individually booking tickets, please make sure you but put the name of the group or party you would like to sit with in the box during your checkout process. It reads: “Would you like to sit with another group or party?” The group/party name needs to be the same in all individual reservations. If you do not list the other parties name, you will not be sat together as we have no way in knowing two individual bookings know each other and we do make assigned seating arrangements in advance.

If you are celebrating a Birthday, you may bring a cake or cupcakes on board. Please do not bring candles or sparklers. We also ask that you bring the proper utensils and/or plates to accommodate this yourselves.

We sail rain or shine!

• Sightseeing
• Sunday Blues Lunch
• All Cruises
• 901.527.2628
• [email protected]
• 45 Riverside Drive Memphis, TN 38103

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1 in critical condition in multi-vehicle crash on I-40 split, MPD says

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Memphis Police Department reported a three-vehicle accident on Tuesday on the flyover on I-40 split.

MPD responded to the crash at 12:24 p.m.

Police say one man is in critical condition.

Drivers should expect delays and seek an alternative route.

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