Brian Tarrence, American tourist celebrating wedding anniversary goes missing during Turks & Caicos vacation after getting up in the middle of the night, with his wife waking up later that morning to find her husband gone and failing to return amid desperate search for missing man said to have substance abuse issues.
An American tourist who traveled to the Caribbean destination of Turks and Caicos late last month continues to remain missing despite a ramped up search for the traveler, six days since last being seen.
Brian Tarrence, 51, born in Georgia, was last seen leaving his rented condo residence around 3:30 a.m. on June 25, at the Paradise Inn in Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, according to a release from the Turks and Caicos Police Department.
MISSING: 51-year-old Brian Tarrance, who used to live in Monroe, NY, was last seen June 25 while vacationing with his wife in Turks and Caicos. The family has hired a private investigator to help island police find him. What we know about the case, @ 5 @News12HV. pic.twitter.com/9B7Vx3SPss
— Blaise Gomez (@BlaiseGomez12) July 1, 2025
Mental health and substance abuse issues
Tarrence, who recently moved from Monroe, NY to Manhattan, NY arrived in Turks and Caicos with his wife on June 22 to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary. The newly wed couple were scheduled to leave on June 29.
‘They seemed to be having a normal couple days, and he ended up walking out of his condo, which is in a very safe place and in the middle of Grace Bay Road,’ the Tarrence family’s private investigator, Carl DeFazio, told Fox News. ‘And we have him on camera, and he walks into town, and then he basically disappears, and we haven’t heard from him since.’
The day before his disappearance, Tarrence and his wife had gone on a boat trip. That evening, his wife went to bed, and upon waking up only to find her husband was gone. She hadn’t noticed he left, DeFazio said.
But there’s more.
In an exclusive interview with Turks Caicos outlet, The SUN, Tarrence’s brother, Mike Tarrence told the outlet that the missing sibling had a severe drinking problem.
‘This is very personal, but come to find out through all of this, it was discovered he is a very bad alcoholic. We were also told that with either the drinking, lack of sleep, or both, he was experiencing hallucinations.’
Notes a post from Eagle Legal News: ‘Mr. Tarrence, who has a history of alcohol addiction, is believed to have resumed drinking heavily after arriving on the island.’
Reports indicate that he became increasingly delusional, speaking to imaginary persons and displaying erratic behavior according to the man’s wife.
Search for missing U.S tourist ramped up
In the hours before his disappearance, Brian Tarrence appeared confused according to his wife, telling her he was seeing people outside their villa.
Asked if his brother had a history of going missing or exhibiting concerning behaviour, Mike Tarrance responded: ‘He has never done anything even remotely close to this. He is a very smart individual.’
Nevertheless the sibling admitted to the missing man suffering from mental health issues.
DeFazio said the Turks and Caicos police force is using every resource it has, including drone technology and CCTV to try and locate the 51-year-old man. He also described Grace Bay Road as a ‘very safe’ area.
‘So far, we haven’t been successful in anything, but we’re not giving up hope. … What I tell the family … in cases like this: Stay positive until you have a reason not to be,’ DeFazio, a former NYPD officer and Marine who has been a PI since the 1990s told FOX News. ‘He’s a smart guy. … We don’t know what’s in his mind or if he did this on his own or if somebody took him in.’
Turks and Caicos travel advisory and dangers
He left his rental with his phone and wallet. He was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers, DeFazio said.
The private investigator has been working to get records of Tarrence’s phone activity on the islands, but it’s taking time, he said.
To date the investigator does not suspect foul play in the husband’s disappearance.
Nevertheless it remained unclear why Tarrance who has been missing for nearly a week failed to make contact with his wife, along with his whereabouts.
The missing man’s abrupt disappearance has since led to the U.S. Embassy now being involved.
Tarrance is described as a Caucasian male of medium build with brown eyes, with height not known.
In March, the US State Department issued a travel advisory for tourists to exercise increased caution in the Turks and Caicos Islands due to a rise in crime.
Last year, violent robberies grew by 143% and gun-related crimes by 123% in Turks and Caicos, according to InSight Crime.
Turks and Caicos Islands’ homicide rate also surged to 103.1% in 2024 with 48 murders — making it the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Turks and Caicos police are asking anyone with information about Tarrence’s disappearance to contact 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477.
