Body Found in Mississippi River Amid Search for Woman Who Disappeared from Riverboat

A woman’s body was found in the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River Saturday afternoon near the Interstate 40 bridge.

WREG said the body was found south of West Memphis across from President’s Island and was sent to the Arkansas Crime Lab for identification and cause of death.

The discovery comes two weeks after the disappearance of Tamia Taylor, a 21-year-old Jackson woman who was last seen celebrating her birthday on a Memphis riverboat, as CrimeOnline reported.

Jasmine Ellis, CEO of the Dock Ellis Foundation, which is assisting Taylor’s family, told WHBQ that searches for the missing mom have been paused until information comes back from the crime lab.

“They’ve definitely reached out to the family; however, until they are able to identify the body, there will be really no communication in regards to what’s going on with the body they recovered yesterday,” Ellis said on Sunday. “So, we have not received any word. We just have to sit back and wait for the identification to happen.”

The foundation also sent out a statement from Taylor’s mother asking for continued prayers.

“We may not know if it’s Tamia, but it’s someone’s family member,” the statement said. “The search must continue.”

The Memphis Police Department is assisting the Crittendon County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, and Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis was spotted at the scene Saturday afternoon, WREG reported.

Taylor was on the Memphis riverboat with three co-workers from the Jackson area on September 9. The co-workers said they last saw her headed to the bathroom aboard the boat.

A golf cart taxi driver told WHBQ that he twice saw Taylor with a man and two women on dry land after the cruise. Jay Munn said he’d already picked up passengers the first time he saw them, and when he returned, they declined his offer of a ride.

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[Featured image: Tamia Taylor/Memphis Police Department]