Missing
Taylor KayJean Machado
Machado, approximately 2016; Tattoos on Machado's chest
Date and time person was reported missing : 04/09/2016
Missing location (approx) :
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Missing classification : Lost/Injured Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 21 years old
Height / Weight : 5'2 - 5'4, 145 - 165 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Machado has tattoos on each side of her upper chest, and a tattoo on her upper arm. A photo of her chest tattoos is posted with this case summary.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Machado was last seen on the U.S.S. Carter Hall off the North Carolina coast on April 9, 2016. A Petty Officer 3rd Class with the Navy, a gunners mate, she disappeared from her ship during training operations for a future deployment. She was discovered missing at approximately 4:20 p.m. Water temperatures were in the low sixties to low seventies at the time.
The Navy and the Coast Guard searched for Machado off the coast of Cape Hatteras for about 72 hours, covering 22,388 nautical square miles, but found nothing and eventually suspended the search operation.
Machado is originally from Paso Robles, California. She graduated from Paso Robles High School in 2013, and enlisted later that year. She reported to the Carter Hall in May 2014. She is presumed to have drowned.
Other information and links : ncy
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
757-444-7327
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Virginian-Pilot
Taylor Machado's Facebook pageheader
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
