Nearly two years after her son Devin Isaacs disappeared without a trace, Tashana Thompson is confronting a new, agonizing blow: the exploitation of her missing child’s image for partisan political gain ahead of an election in the Bahamas.
Devin, who was 16 when he vanished from his Carmichael Road home in May 2024 and turned 18 last year, has become the centerpiece of a misleading, defamatory social media post shared from an unofficial Facebook account named Bahamas Royal over the recent weekend. The post circulated an old photo of Devin wearing a shirt affiliated with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), and tied the image to baseless claims that a vote for PLP Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis endangers children. The unsubstantiated post further went so far as to accuse the party of grooming young men and falsely claimed Devin had been sexually assaulted — claims backed by no evidence whatsoever.
Thompson, speaking to The Tribune on Monday, condemned the post in sharp terms, saying the 2022 photo was captured in an entirely innocent context: Devin had volunteered that year at a back-to-school community event hosted by Golden Gates Member of Parliament Pia Glover-Rolle, a PLP representative. The mother, who has spent nearly two years holding out hope for her son’s safe return, said she was outraged and deeply shaken when she encountered the manipulated circulating content.
“I’m physically, mentally, emotionally drained and weary,” Thompson told the publication. “God sees and knows it all. I hate how they’re using my child.” She labeled the post inhumane and irrational, noting that she has no insight into who operates the Bahamas Royal account, and is demanding the content be immediately removed from the platform.
Devin’s disappearance has remained an open, unresolved case for Bahamian law enforcement. Four days after he was reported missing, police issued a Marco’s Alert to mobilize public assistance in locating him. In July 2024, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander released publicly available closed-circuit television footage collected from the area of Devin’s home. The footage, recorded shortly after midnight on the day Devin vanished, shows a car parked two properties away from the Isaacs home. It captures Devin leaving his residence, returning briefly, then walking toward Carmichael Road. Additional surveillance footage later confirmed Devin was seen alone, walking west near the Rubis Service Station on the same road.
From the early stages of the investigation, law enforcement has floated the theory that Devin may have left home of his own free will. But Thompson has consistently rejected that conclusion, and holds the unproven belief that her son is being held against his will somewhere in the country. She has made clear she will not abandon her search, no matter how much time passes.
The family’s suffering has only intensified since Devin turned 18 last year, granting him legal adult status under Bahamian law. Thompson now harbors a growing fear that even if clues emerge pointing to Devin’s location, authorities will treat the case with less urgency than they would for a missing minor, slowing efforts to bring him home.