'Booze cruise' operator says it has 'no reason to believe' missing mother celebrating birthday had fallen overboard

The search for a missing mother has entered its second week.

Tamia Taylor, 21, disappeared amid her birthday celebration on a two-hour riverboat cruise. It's unclear if she ever stepped off the craft, though the company said Monday they don't think she fell overboard.

"We would like to express our sympathy to Tamia Taylor's family and friends in regard to her being a missing person," the cruise company, Memphis Riverboats Inc., said in a statement. "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. We have no reason to believe she could have gone overboard and we will be respecting MPD as they conduct their investigation. We hope she is found safe and returns home. If you have any information about her please contact the Memphis Police Department."

Taylor traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to take part in the Island Queen Booze Cruise for her birthday, cops have said. The ride started at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9.

Her companions did not see her after the boat returned to the dock and everyone stepped off, cops said.

"There were two exits on the boat for patrons to offload at the conclusion of the ride," officers wrote.

Cops said Tuesday that they don't know if Taylor left the boat before her friends.

Her mother drove to Memphis early Sunday, Sept. 10, in order to file a missing person report after she tried several times to get in touch with her by phone.

Officers said they are looking into "every possible scenario," including if Taylor fell overboard. They have not said whether or not they suspect foul play.

Taylor's mother, Debra Taylor, spoke to Memphis Fox affiliate WHBQ in a Tuesday report. She voiced frustration with the three friends.

"They seemed to make it off the boat and she didn't," she said. "And no one has any answers. They don't know what happened."

One of those three work friends, Kuandera Jenkins, denied any wrongdoing when speaking to Memphis NBC affiliate WMC in a Wednesday report.

"It's a lot of rumors going around, is a lot of people saying that me and two of my friends have drugged her, we killed her, it's too many rumors going around," he said.

The outlet noted that according to Jenkins, Taylor met someone in line while waiting to go on board.

"Them two were talking and whatever and he was telling her 'Oh, you a Virgo, she's a Virgo,' so they started laughing and talking so he gave her some money to buy her a drink so she can celebrate her birthday," he said.

Jenkins said that Taylor had already been drinking before the cruise ship.

"She had her little bottle with her, and she was already taking shots," he said. "And we were smoking."

Jenkins reportedly said they lost sight of Taylor on the ship after she walked alone to the bathroom and was gone for more than 15 minutes. They searched the entire boat and called police at around 1:45 a.m. when the cruise docked, he said.

Taylor did not turn up even after a search of the boat and the bars on Beale Street.

"I'm praying she didn't fall off that boat. I think somebody snatched her or I think somebody [or] some people on that boat got something to do with it," he said.

"Nothing about this whole scenario of the night adds up," Debra Taylor told WHBQ. "Nothing adds up."

The friends said they lost her, according to Debra Taylor: "I said, 'What do you mean you don't know?' She said, 'We don't know. We lost her.' How do you lose somebody that you came with? She then gave me the story, 'We were on the boat. We were getting out of the boat and Tamia says she had to go to the bathroom. She put her phone down to go back up to the second floor to use the bathroom. We picked up her phone. We went to the door to stand and wait on her and then we left.'"

Jay Munn, a golf cart taxi driver, told the outlet he saw Tamia Taylor on dry land the night of the disappearance.

"She was intoxicated, very intoxicated, and she was with some other people," he said. The group — Taylor, two women, and a man — all seemed happy and nothing appeared out of the ordinary, he said. They asked for a ride, but he could not accept because he was already driving someone, he said. He returned later to the riverboats, where he saw them again on Riverside Drive, but this time, they turned down his offer, he said.

"I'm like, 'Hey, do you guys need a ride?'" Munn said. "They were like, 'No, we're good, we're straight.' From that point, I just went on and found somebody else that needed a ride."

Cops ask that anyone who was on the Island Queen Booze Cruise on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 11:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, to call them with any information that could help find Taylor.

"You can call Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-2274 or MPD Missing Persons at (901) 636-4479," officers wrote.

Tamia Taylor is reportedly described as standing five feet, seven inches, and was last seen wearing a beige shirt, white shorts, a black jacket, and white shoes.

"You got to have hope. Don't never lose hope," Debra Taylor told WHBQ. "anybody that knows anything, hear anything, please just give us whatever information. Even if you think it's not important, it may be more important than you think."