Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Jennifer Hagel Smith and Royal Caribbean Reach Settlement in Missing Honeymooner George Smith case

http://missingexploited.com/2006/06/29/jennifer-hagel-smith-and-royal-caribbean-reach-settlement-in-missing-honeymooner-george-smith/

(http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/fun-images/George_20Smith_20_26_20wife_small.jpg)

In a rather stunning development Jennifer Hagel Smith, the wife of missing honeymooner George Allen Smith IV has reached a settlement with Royal Caribbean Cruise line. The terms of the settlement are subject to approval by a Connecticut probate court.

Mystery and Intrigue on the High Seas By Kimberly Guilfoyle


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,201733,00.html

Will the mystery behind missing groom George Smith , who disappeared from a cruise ship while on his honeymoon, ever be solved? The case has sparked intrigue and outrage among many 'Lineup' viewers.

I am very curious about her and have been from the beginning.  I find it odd that she just settled for money, rather than demand answers.   Could you imagine Beth and Dave having done this?

http://www.cruisecommunity.com/ShowStory.asp?ID=9885


27/6/2006
Rep. Christopher Shays plans to introduce legislation on Wednesday that would specify how crimes on cruise ships are reported.
The legislation is titled the Cruise Line Accurate Safety Statistic Act, the Associated Press reports.

Shays, who has led two congressional subcommittee hearings on cruise ship safety, has said he is not convinced the statistics on crimes reported by the cruise industry are accurate.

The Connecticut lawmaker’s constituents include the family of missing honeymooner George Smith.

http://www.cruisecommunity.com/ShowStory.asp?ID=9908

Smith family sues Royal Caribbean
30/6/2006
The family of George Smith filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean International accusing the line of covering up the events surrounding the honeymooner’s disappearance from a Mediterranean cruise last summer.
Smith went missing after a night of heavy drinking. A pool of blood was found on an overhang beneath his cabin balcony.

Royal Caribbean ‘deliberately and intentionally portrayed the incident as an accident and hampered a full-blown, appropriate investigation into the facts and circumstances’ of Smith’s death, according to the suit filed by his parents and sister.

Royal Caribbean president Adam Goldstein called the charges ‘recklessly false,’ and said the suit is ‘an unconscionable attack on our company and its employees, who have done everything they could to fully support the authorities and their investigations.’

The suit was filed in Miami on the same day a settlement was announced between Royal Caribbean and Smith’s widow, Jennifer Hagel Smith.

Jennifer Hagel Smith Settlement with Royal Caribbean has caused a family feud with Smith’s

http://tinyurl.com/emzle

Call it a family feud or a battle “Royal” Caribbean. The parents and sister of missing honeymoon groom, George Allen Smith IV, are none too happy these days with Jennifer Hagel Smith. Honestly, I cannot blame them. Jennifer was married to George Smith for how long? She was found passed out in a hallway while her husband went missing leaving only a blood stained mark below his cruise ship cabin.

Jennifer Hagel settles with Royal Caribbean for money and a confidentiality agreement … George Smith’s parents will settle only for answers.


The minute Jennifer Hagel Smith signed her name to the Royal Caribbean Cruise settlement; we were waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was only a matter of time before the family of missing honeymooner, George Allen Smith IV, went ballistic and after Jennifer Hagel. Personally, I do not blame them one bit. The once united Smith & Hagel family vs. Royal Caribbean cruise lines is over. Although it would appear that the Smith family may have had their suspicions regarding Jennifer Hagel as to what she may have known regarding their son’s disappearance; Jennifer’s actions of settling all but sealed the deal for this family feud to erupt.

A poster, RGEE, contributed a plausible accident theory for George Smith's disappearance on the Scared Monkeys homepage.  My reply is below:  

In the case of Josh Askin, the boy from California, there seems to be scant reason for him to commit murder.  In the case of the Russians from Brooklyn, that's an entirely different matter.  Various reports have depicted them in a less than favorable light.  There have been reports of their having been involved in thefts during the cruise, and several reports in the media have claimed that they were removed from the ship for having sexually assaulted another passenger.  Brooklyn, especially Brighton Beach, is also the epicenter of "Russian Mafia" activity in the U.S.  There is ample reason to examine these "Russian Boys" very closely.  

I think RGEE put forth quite a plausible scenario for accidental loss at sea.  His theory, however, doesn't quite seem to fit with some pieces of evidence as they've been reported in the press.  First, Josh claims that he and the three Russians helped George to his room, after which they all left together.  An eyewitness, though, only saw THREE young men leave the room.  This was at around 4:00 AM, only minutes before the "horrendous thud" from George going over the balcony.  Second, the room was slept in, but apparetnly not by George.  Where was Jennifer?  A crew member reportedly helped her to her stateroom deck (Deck 9) at around 3:30 PM.  Having claimed to have completely "blacked out," she somehow managed to make it to her spa appointment at 8:00 AM.  This seems implausible to me.  Third, Josh claimed that the group went drinking with the casino manager, whom he claims eventually left with Jennifer, and another crew member.  This seems unlikely.  Crew members are not permitted in passenger areas when off-duty.  The bar would certainly be under video surveillance, and the crew members would almost certainly be terminated.  Fourth, the accident theory presumes that George was sitting on the balcony railing when he somehow lost his balance and fell off.  I personally took a cruise on Royal Caribbean's 'Navigator of the Seas' last October, and had a balcony stateroom very similar to George's and Jennifer's.  The railing is 4 feet high, and would be very awkward for me to sit on -- I'm over 6'-4", and George was only 6'-2".  Furthermore, these ships don't suddenly pitch or roll.  They're ENORMOUS.  'Navigator of the Seas' is over 138,000 tons -- more than a third larger than the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy.  'Brilliance of the Seas' is a bit smaller, but still aircraft carrier sized, and, like practically all Royal Caribbean ships, is equipped with retractable stabilizers to further smooth out the ride.  Belive me; you have to be in serious weather before you're going to feel the ship's motion.  George might nevertheless have been lost in an accident, but it's far from a certainty for me at this point.  

I have an alternate, completely hypothetical, scenario.  What if the Russians intended to rob the newlyweds?  They were obviously a well-to-do couple, and their drinking habits and the fact that they were alone on their honeymoon made them vulnerable.  The Russians might have drugged Jennifer and George with GHB or Rohypnol during their fateful night out together.  With George incapacitated, the four boys might have "helped" him back to his room to commit their crime, leaving Jennifer in the bar -- drunk but not passed out -- promising to return.  Once in the room, the Russians noticed that George was dead (unknown to Josh) of an overdose, and went out on the balcony to discuss what to do next.  The next door passenger heard men arguing out on the balcony, but couldn't make out what they were saying.  Perhaps that's because they were speaking in Russian.  Returning inside, the Russians then convinced Josh to leave with two of them, leaving one to "tuck George in."  Three boys then left the room.  The remaining Russian then took a few minutes to ransack the room in search of valuables.  This could have been the noise heard by adjoining passengers that RGEE thought could have been the sound of George punching the walls.  After taking what he could find, the Russian then opened the balcony door, moved the furniture aside to clear a path to the railing, dragged George's body outside, then heaved it over the railing.  Landing on its head to open a gash, blood might have oozed out for a period until the body either slid into the sea or another of the Russians pushed it off.  

Ship's security then knocked on the door a few minutes later to investigate, but left after the Russian inside failed to open the door.  After another few minutes, Jennifer then stumbled to the door.  Left for an overly long period at the bar, she made her way back to the room, but took some time to get there on account of the alcohol and drugs in her system.  Not having her key with her, she quietly knocked, and the Russian let her in after identifying her through the peephole.  This, coincidently, would leave NO record of Jennifer's entry, and from my personal experience the hallways outside of passenger cabins are NOT subject to video surveillance, at least not on 'Navigator of the Seas' back in October.  Asked about George's absense, the Russian tells Jennifer that a drunken George picked up a girl and went with her to the Jacuzzi.  Angry and humiliated on her honeymoon, and still quite tipsy, Jennifer decided to retaliate by seducing the Russian.  They have sex together, after which time the Russian leaves Jennifer alone in bed, returning to his own cabin.  She eventually gets her automated wake-up call, and angrily proceeds to her spa appointment, thinking George spent the night with another woman, not realizing that George, in fact, was dead.  

Though far from an established chain of events, this scenario accounts for many things, and I think it's just as plausible as RGEE's accident theory.  It coincides with all the eyewitness and ear-witness accounts.  It explains the lack of blood in the stateroom.  It accounts for the blood on the canopy. It accounts for the room having been slept in.  Most important, it explains why EVERYBODY involved in this sordid mess would have something to hide.  The Russians wouldn't want to be prosecuted for murder.  Josh wouldn't want to implicate the Russians (out of fear of reprisal) or connect himself so closely to a murder.  This would explain his confusing statement in which he exculpates himself and the Russians, and at the same time goes out of his way to incriminate crew members.  Jennifer, for her part, wouldn't want it disclosed that, on her honeymoon, she had sexual relations with her husband's murderer while his lifeless body might possibly have been resting under her balcony.  Finally, Royal Caribbean would want this whole story to go away.  They wouldn't want their cruise vacations to get a reputation for attracting predators, and they wouldn't want possible inadequate security practices to be widely disclosed, either.  Under this scenario, Jennifer and Royal Caribbean would have every reason to settle any legal dispute both quickly and quietly.

I cannot imagine how infuriated George Smith's family is now.  You could tell the tension prior to this settlement, but now they must be absolutely livid.  I am curious - why isn't anyone talking (maybe I have missed something) Doesn't anyone have anything to say regarding these two (they drank a lot, we were a hard partying crowd, we always did shots, etc. Jennifer was always drinking, etc....any thoughts from anyone???) Have any of their friends come out to make any statements regarding her.  Don't any of his friends feel a betrayal by her.  She keeps acting the victim in this - George is the victim - He is the mystery here -
What happened to George Smith?  I understand - they were drinking - they were BOTH drinking - apparently quite heavily, (absinthe)but people don't just go over those balconies - Ship and hotel balconies are made in a way that you would have to go up and over (we lost a girl in town on a school trip, she also was drunk and it was ruled an accident over a hotel balcony - I don't buy that either, there was several others in that room which she fell from and it wasn't her room) - If he was this inebriated, could he even get himself up over this balcony and why?  What about money - was there money won in the casino or not? If not, then at least one motive is gone here.
I'm not saying Jennifer was involved - but I still don't think George just fell over the balcony.  Did they do a rape test on Jennifer?  Robbery, rape or perhaps some argument with George that resulted in an accident and ended with him being tossed over.  I wonder what cruise those 3 guys are going on this year.

Tragedy.

Reading about the Hagel-Smith case on cruisebruise.com, it was reported that Jennifer, through her attorney, has announced that she remains convinced that George met his end through foul play at the hands of fellow passengers.  From this statement, then, it would seem that she doesn't accept the accident theory, which makes the fact that she settled with Royal Caribbean all the more odd.  Cruisebruise also reports (according to Royal Caribbean, I assume) that Jennifer, after having been taken by a crew member to her berthing deck (immediately following her exit from the disco), was much later found asleep in a corridor far away from there -- and just steps away from Josh Askin's cabin.  This, too, seems odd.  Josh, along with the three Russians, had been spending considerable time partying with the Smiths.  Why would she just happen to wind up THERE?  

There's one more peculiar element gleaned from cruisebruise.  It was reported that Jennifer was brought to her cabin by crew members shortly before 5:00 AM.  At 8:30 AM she presented herself at the spa for her couple's massage appointment -- 1 1/2 hours early -- wearing the same clothes from the night before.  This is very strange.  After a night of over-the-top carousing, one might expect that Jennifer would have wanted the extra sleep.  Coincidentally, 8:30 AM appears to have been when other passengers were first noticing the blood stain on the canopy below the Smiths' balcony.  

Jennifer's behavior COULD be interpreted as a possible pattern of deception.  It could be that she was intentionally AVIODING her cabin.  A crew member initially helped her there, yet she takes a sudden detour to a far removed part of the ship.  Perhaps she had to absent herself in order to give George's killers opportunity to do the deed.  Later, after George goes overboard, crew members physically take her in a wheelchair back to her cabin and put her to bed, yet she bolts at first light to show up an hour-and-a-half early for an appointment.  Perhaps she didn't want to be the one to discover the blood stain.  She has all the time in the world that morning to shower and change, yet she heads out wearing the same clothing from the night before.  Perhaps she wanted to be able to claim that she never went into the bathroom in her cabin that morning, and so couldn't have noticed George's blood on the towels.  Her actions could easily have been contrived in order to establish plausible deniability in the face of an eventual criminal investigation.  This theory, though, assumes Jennifer's complicity in George's murder, which I really couldn't accept absent a strong financial motivation.  Is it known whether Jennifer stood to benefit from life insurance, trust funds, etc. in the event of George's death?

That's interesting STEVE< because the captian of the ship reported on Nancy Grace that Jennifer Hagel Smith was found outside one of the crew member's cabins....

was the person you mentioned part of the crew??

Mrs. Red,

I didn't see the Captain's interview on Nancy Grace.  Cruisebruise, however, reports that Jennifer Smith was discovered asleep in the hallway 5 doors down from Josh Askin's stateroom, and just outside a "crew only" area.  Josh Askin was one of the younger passengers (along with the "Russian boys") that George and Jennifer Smith became closely acquainted with on their fateful honeymoon cruise.  The Smiths' cabin was on Deck 9.  I don't know where Josh Askin's cabin was, but it would presumably not be near crew accommodations.  I took a cruise in October on Royal Caribbean's 'Navigator of the Seas,' and found that crew quarters were very low on the ship, and isolated from passenger areas.  The "crew only" area referred to in the report might well have been something along the lines of a freight elevator, but I can't be certain.  So little information has been revealed to the public, and much of it has been contradictory.  The incident just doesn't "feel" like an accident to me, especially since the Russian boys apparently gang raped a young woman (supposedly videotaped) just 2 days after George's disappearance.  If they could rape someone, they could kill George.  My sense of the matter, then, is that if they committed the one crime, then chances are they committed both.  I still haven't come to any conclusions regarding involvement on the part of Josh Askin or Jennifer.  There's too little information available at this juncture.

I tend to agree... I don't think he just fell overboard, there is a lot more to this story...

In light of today's reported missing person, I found this link which lists all reports of missing, assaulted persons, etc. on various cruises:

http://www.cruisebruise.com/cruise_ship_missing_persons.html

Interesting 2NJ, thanks for posting this.

http://tinyurl.com/qp8zq

Ohio woman feared lost overboard on cruise from Mexico to Miami

sun-sentinel.com
Posted September 11 2006, 1:20 PM EDT

 
MIAMI – A 37-year-old passenger on a cruise ship was reported missing overboard as the liner cruised from Mexico to the Port of Miami over the weekend, the Coast Guard said on Monday.

The woman, who was not immediately identifiedwas last seen aboard the Imagination around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil, Coast Guard spokesman, said. The Coast Guard said the woman is from Minnesota but the FBI, the investigating agency, later said she is from Ohio.

The Coast Guard was alerted about the woman overboard report around 9:30 a.m. Monday when the Imagination tied up in Miami, O'Neil said.

The ship's last port of call in Mexico was Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan peninsula.

The 37-year-old woman was on a four-day cruise to Key West and Calica, which is the port for Playa del Carmen.

The Miami-based cruise line said relatives last saw the passenger Saturday night, but did not report her missing until Monday, when the ship docked.

FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said she was not aware of any delay in reporting the disappearance.

``It doesn't look like foul play,'' Orihuela added.

The 2,052-passenger Imagination is operated by Carnival Cruise Line and specializes in four- and five-day trips to the western Caribbean from Miami, according to the company's Web site.

Disappearances aboard cruise ships are not entirely uncommon. The International Council of Cruise Lines, an industry lobbying group, reported earlier this year that a review of data from 15 lines showed 24 missing people were reported from 2003 to 2005.

In July, Elizabeth Galeana, 22, of Naples, apparently fell off a cruise ship and drowned. Her body was found off the coast of Italy last month. In May, Daniel DiPiero, 21, of Canfield, Ohio, fell off a cruise ship to the Bahamas after a night of heavy drinking with friends.

One of the highest profile cases involving a cruise ship disappearance occurred last summer, when George Allen Smith IV, 26, of Greenwich, Conn., vanished from his honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean after an apparent late night of drinking. Bloodstains were found on a canopy that covers lifeboats. No one has been charged and no body has been found.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Not another Carnival Passenger?Cat

37 Year Old Unidentified Ohio Woman Missing Aboard Carnival Cruise Ship, “Imagination”

http://missingexploited.com/2006/09/11/37-year-old-unidentified-ohio-woman-missing-aboard-carnival-cruise-ship-%e2%80%9cimagination%e2%80%9d/

As sad as it seems.....many people who go missing are not victims of foul play, but simply want to disappear.

I have no idea what happened to this woman but suicide, or accidental overboard is still a real possibility.

Missing Carnival Cruise passenger aboard Imagination identified as Tammy Grogan of Toledo, OH

http://missingexploited.com/2006/09/13/missing-carnival-cruise-passenger-aboard-immagination-identified-as-tammy-grogan-of-toldeo-oh/

The thing that gets to me is this....

Of ALL the missing persons on cruise ships, I am NOT convinced that they all end up  overboard.

 IF they DID, wouldn't you think that someone  would have seen something from the ship?  from another boat in the area? something floating in the ocean at least once out of the many missing persons?I saw many yachts and boats out around the same waterways as our cruise vessel,  

It really makes you think about the credentials of the crew aboard these ships, and of all the hiding places one could hide a person, or a person to hide in,  and get off these ships undetected.

Scary isnt it?

When I cruised last to Bermuda there were moments that I was on deck pretty much by myself gazing out with a cup of coffee, or something stronger.....and if I had God Forbid,  fallen over there most likely would have been no one to witness it.....

next time I cruise, I think I will be more careful....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/04/cruise.settlement.ap/index.html

Story Highlights• Cruise line agrees to settle suit over vanished honeymooner, court papers say• Royal Caribbean Cruises to pay more than $1 million to estate
• George Allen Smith IV disappeared on July 5, 2005 after a night of drinking
• His body has not been found and no one has been charged with a crime

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- Royal Caribbean Cruises has agreed to pay more than $1 million to the estate of a Connecticut man who vanished from his honeymoon cruise in 2005 according settlement papers to be filed Thursday.

Posted by Bleachedblack in wrong thread and moved here:


New Year mystery aboard the QE2

http://express.lineone.net/news_detail.html?sku=989

Judge Dismisses Amended George Smith Family Law Suit again Against Royal Caribbean … Its no Hagel-Smith Settlement

http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/2007/01/18/judge-dismisses-amended-george-smith-family-law-suit-again-against-royal-caribbean-its-no-hagel-smith-settlement/

Judge Jon Gordon had dismissed this law suit with prejudice which means the law suit cannot be re-filed; however, it can be appealed. The Smith family attorney, Brett Rivkind, said that they would appeal the ruling.

“We think the decision is not well-reasoned,” Rivkind said. “We’re confident an appeal court will conclude that the conduct that has been alleged is sufficient to rise to a level of outrageous conduct. A jury should decide.”

Cruise passenger reported missing, ship reverses course
By Associated Press

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

MIAMI -- A Royal Caribbean cruise ship turned around Monday to help authorities search for a passenger who was reported missing, according to a statement from the company.

 The 24-year-old unidentified man was last seen on a balcony in his room aboard the Freedom of the Seas about 1:45 a.m. Monday, according to the Royal Caribbean statement. He was reported missing at about 8:30 a.m.

The man was on the cruise with his family. The ship, which was carrying 4,141 passengers, was sailing from Miami to San Juan before it turned around to assist in the search.

"We are determining how this will impact the rest of the sailing," said Michael Sheehan, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean Cruises.

The FBI and the Bahamian Maritime Authority were aware of the missing passenger and the U.S. Coast Guard also assisted search crews, Royal Caribbean said in the statement.

The Coast Guard temporarily stopped its air search Monday evening but planned to resume its efforts this morning, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr said.

http://www.wftv.com/news/13526426/detail.html

I know suicide or accidental fall over balcony.......when they are this high?

(http://www.holidayaccessdirect.com/images/man-looking-over-cruise-balcony.jpg)

Last August, a Florida woman was found dead after disappearing from the same ship off the coast of Italy.

    
June 18, 2007

Cruise ship reports passenger missing

A passenger aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that departed from Miami bound for Puerto Rico was reported missing early today.

The 24-year-old passenger was last seen resting on a balcony outside his room by his brother and a friend at 1:45 a.m. Monday, when the Freedom of the Seas ship was sailing near Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas.

He was reported missing by his family at 8:30 a.m.

The man may have been intoxicated, said U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr.

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted an air search this afternoon and plans to resume the search Tuesday, Warr said. The FBI and the Bahamian Maritime Authority have been alerted as well, said Michael Sheehan, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean Cruises.

The cruise ship, which had left Miami on Sunday and was expected to arrive in San Juan, Puerto Rico, this afternoon, has turned around and is retracing its path.

A revised itinerary hasn't been finalized, Sheehan said.

''The guests are understanding of the situation,'' he added.

The cruise line is collecting and reviewing onboard records, videos and statements, and securing the man's stateroom, according to a statement from Royal Caribbean.

''We are doing our very best to assist the family of this young man while we and the authorities continue searching for him,'' said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International. ``Our most profound hope is that this young man and his family will be reunited as quickly as possible.''

There are 4,141 guests on board the Freedom of the Seas, which is the world's largest cruise ship.

Last August, a Florida woman was found dead after disappearing from the same ship off the coast of Italy.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070618/BREAKINGNEWS/70618044/1086

Maybe cruises are for some people - but the more these things happen, the less likely it will be for me to take a cruise.  Too many mishaps!!!

Local Man Missing From Cruise Ship

(06/20/07-- MIAMI) - A cruise ship that had turned around to look for a missing passenger resumed its voyage Tuesday as the Coast Guard began a second day of searching for the 24-year-old man.

 Relatives last saw, Brent Smith around 1:45 a.m. Monday on his stateroom balcony and reported him missing about seven hours later, according to Royal Caribbean International. The ship, Freedom of the Seas, turned around to try to find him in the water east of Eleuthera Island, Bahamas.

Smith was on the cruise with his parents, Kenneth and Lori Smith, who are elders at the Wilson Praise and Worship Center.

According to the Smiths, when they woke up they could not find their son.

The family was on family vacation with other family members and friends, including the Smith's two other children.

After a thorough search of the ship and Smith was not found, it was determined that he went overboard. His sandals were reportedly found on the deck.

The FBI and the Bahamian Maritime Authority were aware the passenger was missing, the company said.

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for Smith.

The ship, operated by Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., was expected to dock in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, a day later than scheduled, then return to Miami on Sunday.

Passengers have survived falls from cruise ships before, including three in March alone. A 35-year-old man was pulled from the water about eight hours after he went over the side of a Carnival Cruise Lines ship off Florida's coast on March 16. A few weeks later, a man and woman in their 20s went overboard from a Princess Cruises ship and were rescued about five hours later with no major injuries.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=local&id=5401648

FBI agents are viewing copies of videotapes taken from security cameras aboard the Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the ship 24-year-old Brent Smith vanished from Monday.

Investigators are also reviewing printed layouts of the cabin in which Smith was staying, according to Harry Rodriguez, the FBI spokesman in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the ship is docked.

"I can't comment on what's left to be done (in the investigation), but we are investigating whether foul play occurred, a crime on the high seas," he said.

http://www.wilsontimes.com/Wil_region/Local_News/325174784651574.php

O/T, but important information to pass along. Klaasend, if you see fit to delete this post please do so. I know it strays a bit.

http://www.internationalcruisevictims.org/

No, it's a great link.  I didn't see Amy Bradley on it though??

Memorial Service Planned for Smith

http://tinyurl.com/3ahyj8

Missing cruise ship passenger

March 9, 2008
MIAMI -- The Coast Guard is searching for a 39-year-old woman reported to have jumped from the cruise ship Costa Mediterranea early Sunday morning 20 miles southeast of Key Largo, Fla.

The Costa Mediterranea's crew notified the Coast Guard at 1:18 a.m. reporting that the woman's boyfriend, traveling aboard with her, said she had become angry and agitated and then unexpectedly jumped overboard.

The Coast Guard Cutters Farallon and Confidence, a HH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Miami and a C-130 Hercules from Air Station Clearwater, Fla., were dispatched to conduct the search.

The Coast Guard Cutter Confidence is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homported at Port Canaveral, Fla.,

The Coast Guard Cutter Farallon is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Miami.

Bonita woman missing after jump off cruise ship

Last updated on: 3/10/2008
MIAMI: The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a Bonita Springs woman who reportedly jumped off a cruise ship Sunday morning.

Tina White, 39, was on the Costa Mediterranea with her boyfriend when officials say she got angry with him and jumped overboard about 20 miles southeast of Key Largo.

Coast Guard crews searched a 3,000 square mile area with no sign of White.

The search was suspended at 3 p.m. Monday.

"We have suspended our active search pending further developments," said Lt. Eric Pare of the U.S. Coast Guard. "If new information comes to light we would consider resuming our search. We are confident that if White was in the area we searched, we would have found her.

http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=18101&z=3

Family questions Bonita woman's cruise-ship death

March 11, 2008
A grieving family is questioning accounts of how a Bonita Springs woman died Sunday morning during a cruise off the Florida Keys.

Azul

Tina White, 39, was with her boyfriend on the cruise ship Costa Mediterranean when she reportedly became angry and agitated and jumped overboard 20 miles southeast of Key Largo early Sunday morning, according to Coast Guard officials.

She is the second Southwest Florida woman in recent years to die after going overboard during a cruise.

White's mother, Kathleen O'Hearn of Bonita Springs, said she talked to her daughter's boyfriend, who returned home following White's death.

"I spoke to him and he said he saw her go over the railing," the grieving mother said Monday. She said she heard from the Coast Guard that her daughter and boyfriend had been arguing.

However, such accounts don't add up, said White's brother, Toby McRory, 31, of Bonita Springs.

"I don't think she jumped. I know my sister. She's afraid of water and scared of heights," he said.

For the same reasons, McRory said he doesn't believe his sister would have put herself in a position to accidentally fall overboard.

His sister and her boyfriend, Andy Hopkins, had a rocky relationship, McRory said.

"But my sister loved him because she kept going back to him," McRory said.

No one answered the door at the home of Hopkins in Bonita Springs.

White's father, Terrance O'Hearn, was devastated.

"This is something you never expect. They just left on a week's vacation. I don't know what to say," he said.

The Coast Guard abandoned its search for White on Monday afternoon after combing 3,000 square miles of ocean with two cutters and aircraft crews.

"We are confident that if White was in the area we searched, we would have found her," Lt. Eric Pare, command duty office for the Coast Guard's Seventh District center, said in a prepared statement.

However, "if new information comes to light, we would consider resuming our search," he said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Barry Bena said that, to his knowledge, the investigation was not turned over to any other agency.

>>>>the complete article
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/NEWS0102/803110393/1075

Coast Guard Seeks Missing Cruise Ship Passenger

April 23, 2008
A Coast Guard crew from Clearwater is searching the waters northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, in hopes of finding a missing cruise ship passenger.

The Carnival Victory's captain alerted the Coast Guard about a missing 44-year-old man, who was last seen about 1 a.m. Tuesday, Petty Officer Barry Bena said.

Officials have not released the missing man's name.

A Coast Guard air crew from Clearwater is searching a 1,146-square-mile area about 38 miles northeast of Cozumel.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/apr/23/coast-guard-searching-missing-cruise-ship-passenge/

....another article about the same missing passenger .

++++++++++

Search Is on for Cruise Ship Passenger Believed to Have Fallen Overboard Near Cozumel, Mexico

April 23, 2008
 The Coast Guard launched an intensive search Wednesday for a 44-year-old male passenger of a Carnival cruise ship who disappeared near Cozumel, Mexico, during a seven-day trip, FOX's WSVN Miami reported.

Authorities believe the man, who wasn't identified, might have fallen overboard the Carnival Victory, according to WSVN. He vanished after about 1 a.m. Tuesday, when the ship was 38 miles northeast of the coast of Cozumel.

"Yesterday evening during a seven-day cruise aboard the Carnival Victory, shortly after the vessel had departed Cozumel, Mexico, a 44-year-old male guest was reported missing by a member of his family who had reportedly not seen him on the ship for an extended period of time," the cruise line, based in Miami, said in a statement.

"A comprehensive ship-wide search was conducted and the vessel's command immediately notified the proper authorities, including U.S. Coast Guard and FBI, as per the company's normal protocol."

The ship left from Miami on Sunday to embark on a Caribbean cruise making stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It is scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352313,00.html

Authorities suspend search for missing cruise ship passenger

April 24, 2008
MIAMI (AP) - The Coast Guard is suspending the search for a missing cruise ship passenger.

A spokesman says aircrews from the Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater searched for more than 1,500 miles of ocean since Steven Manning was reported missing Tuesday.

The 44-year-old from Illinois was on the cruise ship Carnival Victory with his wife. He went missing almost 40 miles northeast of Cozumel, Mexico.

The Coast Guard did not release his home town.

http://www.wwsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8219574

I have only been on two cruises in my young life and they were both twenty years ago.  I am about 5'7".  I cannot fathom how one can "fall" overboard.  I just don't get it.  I never felt like I was in danger of falling overboard and I stood right by the rail many times. 

For the record, I am also terribly afraid of heights.  I just put a deck off my second story bedroom (8' x'21') and while I will stand right at the railing, I'm not leaning over because I'm afraid of heights.  The deck is totally over-engineered thanks to DH and my BFF's DH who built the deck.  If an architect and an engineer can't get it right, who can?  They know how I am.  It doesn't even vibrate when you walk on it.  But I digress.

Am I the only one who doesn't understand how you can fall overboard?  There is a standard height for railings in these situations, applicable construction codes, etc.  I don't understand.  It seems like we hear about more and more people going over the side and I just don't see how it can be that easy.  And every one of these people can't possibly be so impaired that they just FALL over because I think that would be tough to do.  The rail leans in towards you as a deterrent.  Maybe it's just me.

Missing Cruise Passenger From Ottawa, Illinois

OTTAWA, Ill. (AP) _ Authorities in Florida say foul play isn't suspected in the disappearance of a cruise ship passenger from north-central Illinois.

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for Steven Manning. Aircrews from the Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater, Florida, searched for more than 1,500 miles of ocean after Manning was reported missing Tuesday.

An FBI spokeswoman in Miami says Manning is from Ottawa, Illinois. The 44-year-old is the owner of Chugger'z Bar and Grill in the community about 70 miles southwest of Chicago.

Manning and his wife were on the cruise ship Carnival Victory when he went missing almost 40 miles northeast of Cozumel, Mexico.

http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=8222197&nav=menu81_1_2_9

I often wonder the same thing.  If it is so easy to fall overboard, why don't more people fall overboard?

Good to see you, Peaches.

Congress wants cruise lines to report shipboard crimes

How often do crimes occur on ships? Cruisers soon could have an answer, thanks to a bill working its way through the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation Thursday, and its now heading to the Senate. It would require lines to report shipboard crimes such as sexual assaults to the Department of Homeland Security, which would in turn make the statistics available to the public on the Web. The legislation also would require lines to report passengers who go missing.

ONLINE TODAY: What should Royal Caribbean name its next ships? Vote HERE

The proposal, which was attached as an amendment to the reauthorization bill for the U.S. Coast Guard that passed the House Thursday by a vote of 395 to 7, could be signed into law by early summer, according to supporters.

The legislation comes in the wake of several alleged crimes and suspicious incidents on cruise ships that gained national attention, including the 2005 disappearance of a 26-year-old honeymooner from Connecticut, George Smith, during a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Smith's disappearance prompted Connecticut Congressman Chris Shays to hold hearings on cruise ship crime and push for the current legislation.

The cruise industry maintains that crime on ships is rare. The International Council of Cruise Lines has said that only 206 criminal complaints were filed by cruisers between 2003 and 2005, a period during which more than 31 million people took cruises.

The efforts in Congress come as California considers a bold move to police cruise ships. Earlier this month a California state senator proposed legislation that would place an ocean ranger on every cruise ship in California waterways to protect passengers. The ranger also would monitor cruise ship compliance with environmental laws.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=49115208.blog

Coast Guard searching for missing cruise ship passenger off Atlantic City

May 12, 2008

10:45 a.m. Update - PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Coast Guard is searching for a 46-year-old female passenger of the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn after it was reported she fell overboard approximately 45-miles Northeast of Atlantic City, Sunday night.

Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City launched two HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews at 3:50 a.m., and arrived on-scene at about 4:18 a.m. The crews conducted search patterns for two hours before returning to base due to inclement weather.

The Norwegian Dawn departed New York City enroute for Bermuda.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/186/story/156086.html

(http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/photo_servlet?contentId=6521548&version=1&locale=EN-US&subtype=MIMG&siteId=1001&isP16=true)

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Cruise Passenger
Woman Fell Off Norwegian Dawn

12 May 2008, 2:42 PM EDT
MYFOXNY.COM -- The U.S. Coast Guard has called off for now its search for a woman who apparently fell overboard from a cruise ship off the coast of Atlantic City. Officials said that bad weather was the reason they suspended the search.

The woman, a 46-year-old passenger, apparently went overboard from the Norwegian Dawn at about 7:50 p.m. Sunday, a cruise official said. The ship had departed New York City bound for Bermuda.

"The ship immediately began a search and rescue operation and the U.S. Coast Guard was alerted and joined to assist," the cruise line said in a statement. "At midnight, the U.S. Coast Guard released the ship and took over search and rescue operations. Norwegian Dawn proceeded on its scheduled itinerary."

The Coast Guard said Monday that continuing winds over 50 mph and heavy rain prevented it from resuming the search.

Neither the cruise line nor the Coast Guard released the passenger's name or residence.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time," said Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews.

The Coast Guard said it was initially notified Sunday night at approximately 8:21 p.m. A helicopter crew from Atlantic City launched at 9 p.m., and arrived on scene at about 9:43 p.m. The helicopter crew conducted search patterns until 10:53 p.m. Another chopper crew, aboard an an HH-60 Jayhawk from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., joined the search efforts at about midnight and searched until 3:05 a.m., the Coast Guard said.

The ship was cleared to proceed on its scheduled itinerary and is set to arrive in Bermuda on Wednesday.

http://tinyurl.com/69h9yu

Wow, that looks like the shortest search in the history of searching. Appalling in my opinion. I know there were reports that bad weather halted the search, but Good Lord. Seems like it was very short to me anyway.

There have been cases where people have survived days floating in the water, is anyone planning on going back out? And what is the cruise lines responsibility? someone went over the railing and that's the end of it?

Hardly makes me want to take a cruise. How anyone could enjoy themselves after knowing that someone has gone overboard and is missing and could be dead is beyond me. My trip would be ruined.

I agree Rob seems really minimal to me.

FBI Investigates Woman's Disappearance From Cruise Ship

POSTED: 9:29 am EDT May 12, 2008
UPDATED: 8:34 am EDT May 13, 2008
NEW YORK -- The FBI is now investigating the disappearance of a woman off a cruise ship Sunday night off the Atlantic City coast. An FBI spokesman said agents with the FBI's New York office will attempt to speak with witnesses to try to learn if the woman's disappearance was an accident or the result of foul play.

Rough weather Monday forced the U.S. Coast Guard to stop searching for the woman passenger who was aboard The Norwegian Dawn. The cruise ship was headed for Bermuda from New York City when the 46-year-old woman went overboard at about 7:50 p.m. Sunday, cruise officials said.

While FBI and Coast Guard officials declined to identify the woman, a source familiar with the case has identified the victim as Mindy Jordan New Jersey.

In a statement, the cruise line said the ship immediately began a search and rescue operation, but did not provide further details. On Monday, the Coast Guard said continuing winds over 50 mph and heavy rain prevented it from resuming the search. Coast Guard officials said helicopters based in New Jersey and Cape Cod were able to search for the woman fro several hours.

Officials said the water temperature was in the 50s and that a person wound not likely survive more than a couple of hours in those conditions. Neither the cruise line nor the Coast Guard released the passenger's name or residence.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time," said Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews.

At midnight Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard released the ship and took over search and rescue operations. The Coast Guard says the ship was approximately 45 miles northeast of Atlantic City when the woman was reported overboard Sunday night. It departed from the company's Manhattan Cruise Terminal at 4 p.m.

The vessel proceeded on its scheduled itinerary, and is set to arrive in Bermuda on Wednesday.

http://www.wnbc.com/news/16238125/detail.html?dl=mainclick

I am not blaming the victim-yes victim- when I say I will not be surprised if we all soon learn that this woman was celebrating her cruise with excessive drinking. I hope this is not the case, and that it was a true accident, but very commonly the drinking has occurred and serves as the means for less than honorable people to take advantage of travelers. As we have all seen it may be GHB in the drink and then disposal of the person to eliminate evidence. The truth will come out. So far things are tight lipped in this emerging story.

Pine Hill woman missing at sea; inquiry under way

May 13, 2008
The Coast Guard on Monday suspended an ocean search for a Pine Hill woman missing from a cruise ship, but family members said they're still looking for answers about their loved one's disappearance.

Mindy Jordan, 46, fell overboard from the Norwegian Dawn about 7:50 p.m. Sunday, when the cruise ship was about 45 miles northeast of Atlantic City, according to the Coast Guard.

But Jordan's relatives want an investigation into the incident, her sister, Julie August of Mount Laurel, said Monday.

"My sister is a professional. She's a nurse and a mother," said August. "This is not somebody who's going to be jumping up on a rail."

Relatives learned of Jordan's disappearance from her boyfriend and traveling companion, Jorge Caputo of Pine Hill, August said.

 "He said she was clowning around and she fell over," said August. "Who knows? We weren't there."

 But, she contended, "It's just not adding up."

 A Coast Guard spokesman said a "marine casualty investigation" will look into the cruise ship's operation during the incident.

"From what I understand, the FBI's also involved in this particular case," said the spokesman, Petty Officer Christopher Evanson. "They are separate investigations."

An FBI representative could not be reached for comment.

Caputo also could not be reached as the cruise ship, which left New York at 4 p.m. Sunday, continued en route to Bermuda.

The Coast Guard, which was told of Jordan's disappearance at 8:21 p.m. Sunday, conducted a helicopter search over about 60 square miles until shortly after 3 a.m. Monday.

Norwegian Dawn crew members also threw life rings into the ocean and deployed a small boat to look for Jordan.

The Coast Guard search, which was suspended due to bad weather, would be resumed only if more is learned about Jordan's location, Evanson said.

Family members expect the worst.

 "It's been such a long time," said August, who said Jordan is the mother of two teenage children.

"My mother had talked to her (by phone) while she was on her way to the ship, and she sounded fine," added August. "She was happy to be going."

She described Jordan, a licensed practical nurse who provided home health care, as "loving and warmhearted."

"She generally took care of children who were dying or on life support," said August. "That tells you the kind of person she was."

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/NEWS01/805130365/1006

So GHB is not the likely cause of this woman's accident. But it seems this woman would have gone overboard while it was still daylight so perhaps security cameras have captured the event and the truth will be known.

Mindy Jordan, Missing on Cruise ship Norwegian Dawn … Reported Missing off Atlantic City Coast

http://missingexploited.com/2008/05/13/mindy-jordan-missing-on-cruise-ship-norwegian-dawn-reported-missing-off-atlantic-city-coast/

(http://missingexploited.com/picture_library/mindy_jordan_small.jpg)

46 year old Mindy Jordan is missing while on a cruise from NYC to Bermuda aboard the Norwegian Dawn. Mindy Jordan reportedly went overboard at about 7:50 pm Sunday. According to Norwegian Cruise Lines Mindy Jordan was apparently trying to climb between balconies on the cruise ship.

The Cruise line issued the following statement:

the cruise line said the ship immediately began a search and rescue operation, but did not provide further details. On Monday, the Coast Guard said continuing winds over 50 mph and heavy rain prevented it from resuming the search.

Missing Norwegian Dawn Cruise Ship Passenger Mindy Jordan Went Overboard was “Clowning Around”

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2008/05/13/missing-norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-passenger-mindy-jordan-went-overboard-was-clowning-around/

Relatives of the missing 46 year old nurse Mindy Jordan are calling for an investigation into what happened as they think something is wrong with the story and does not add up. Smell test #1: What person has their spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend go overboard and continues on the cruise to its destination as opposed to staying with the search for their missing loved one?

Clowning around or not, Jordan’s distraught relatives are calling for an investigation into the incident, which occurred just off the coast of New Jersey.

“It’s just not adding up,” August tells the Courier Post. “My sister is a professional. She’s a nurse and a mother. This is not somebody who’s going to be jumping up on a rail.”

Jordan’s mother, Louise Horton of Bordentown, N.J., expressed frustration with Jordan’s boyfriend to WPVI-TV, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia. She told the station that when she talked to him on the ship, she asked him what he was going to do about the situation, and “he said, ‘well I guess I’m just going to have to go on to Bermuda.’ So, he’s continuing his trip as usual.”

Do we have another George Smith case here?

Here is a pic of the balconies on the Norwegian Dawn

(http://scaredmonkeys.com/fun-images/Norwegian_Daw_balconies_small.jpg)

Nope, doesn't add up.  Why on earth would she risk trying to go from one balcony to another.   I can't imagine going on to Bermuda if that happened to my boyfriend/girlfriend. 

Cruise Line Releases Timeline Before Woman Went Overboard
Missing Cruise Ship Victim's Son Seeks Answers

 May 14, 2008
FBI agents were in Bermuda Wednesday interviewing other passengers trying to get to the bottom of a tragic incident.

Mindy Jordan, 46, reportedly went overboard from the Norwegian Dawn about 45 miles off the coast of Atlantic City on the way to Bermuda.

The Camden County woman's family said Wednesday that very little information was being given about what had happened, they had been left with many questions.

But the Norwegian cruise line took steps to try and answer some of those Wednesday night.

 The cruise ship docked Wednesday in Bermuda. An FBI spokesman said they were met by investigators who will conduct interviews.

"I can't work. I can't sleep, I can't eat," Barry Jordan, Mindy's son, said.

Barry Jordan said Wednesday he had just talked to his mother Sunday morning to wish her a happy Mother's Day just hours before she left on the cruise with her boyfriend of two and a half years, Jorge Caputo.

It was a memory he said was shattered after a phone call from Caputo to Mindy's mother later that night.

"Jorge apparently called her and said, 'your daughter fell overboard.' The thing that doesn't get me is that he felt very comfortable saying it," Barry Jordan said.

He said Caputo told them Mindy was "clowning around."

"It's not like her to do something like that. She's only 4 feet 10 inches and 98 pounds. You can't just fall off. I can't see her jumping up on a railing like that, clowning around or not," Barry Jordan said.

The original statement from Norwegian Cruise Lines said that initial reports indicated Jordan was "attempting to climb from one exterior balcony on deck nine to an adjoining balcony and fell overboard."

Barry Jordan said that isn't like the long-time nurse and mother of two.

"Did the cruise ship have cameras? Did they go through the cameras? I want to know the story," Barry Jordan said.

On Wednesday night, the cruise line issued a new statement that said an "advanced safety and surveillance system operating on Norwegian Dawn, including cameras in the interior hallways and on the exterior sides of the ship, has confirmed that Mindy Jordan was in her stateroom alone at the time of the incident."

The sequence of events was described as follows:

# Jordan and Caputo dined at the Garden Café with the couple they were traveling with and then returned to their assigned adjacent staterooms at approximately 7:28 p.m.

# At 7:36 p.m., Caputo left his stateroom and went to join his friends in their stateroom next door. From that moment on, Jordan was alone in her stateroom.

# At 7:53 p.m., surveillance cameras from the exterior of the ship captured Jordan falling overboard from her balcony, straight into the water. Shortly thereafter, an emergency call was made from the friends' stateroom, and Caputo was seen exiting to seek help.

# At 7:57 p.m., a man overboard announcement is made and the ship's crew began lifesaving operations, including the launch of two rescue boats.

The cruise line said it has offered to make arrangements for Jordan's family to join the ship Thursday in Bermuda to view the surveillance footage, and it "remains committed to assisting the family in any way possible during this tragic time."

FBI investigators said they will continue to nail down the facts of what happened, and they have not ruled out foul play.

The couple is well known to their Pine Hill neighbors.

"Friendly, happy, liked to spend time together," Steve Brandt, a neighbor, said.

"Very nice, extremely nice people," Barbara Matthew, a neighbor, said.

Barry Jordan said all he knows is a Coast Guard search has been called off. He said he holds little hope his mother will be found alive.

"It's just unreal," he said.

http://www.nbc10.com/news/16265349/detail.html

Missing woman's kin accept FBI report

May 16, 2008
Based on a preliminary investigation, the FBI does not believe a crime occurred when a Pine Hill woman fell overboard from a cruise ship, the vessel's operator said Thursday.

Mindy Jordan, 46, plunged from the Norwegian Dawn on Sunday evening when the ship was about 45 miles northeast of Atlantic City. The Coast Guard has suspended a search for the woman, who had just started a New York-to-Bermuda cruise.

Some of Jordan's relatives, who were suspicious of initial accounts of the fall, did not dispute the latest view.

"We certainly have faith in the FBI," said her sister, Julie August of Mount Laurel. "That's all we wanted to know all along -- what happened?

Jordan's family had questioned an account provided by the woman's boyfriend, Jorge Caputo of Pine Hill, that she had climbed onto a balcony railing. They said that was out of character for Jordan, a licensed practical nurse and mother of two teenagers.

 The ship's owner, Norwegian Cruise Line, on Wednesday said surveillance cameras showed Jordan was alone at the time of the incident. It said she fell while trying to climb between adjacent balconies.

On Thursday, the cruise line said the FBI "has confirmed" its preliminary investigation "was consistent" with the company's account.

"At this time, they (the FBI) do not believe that a crime has been committed," the company said. An FBI spokesman could not be reached.

Caputo, who flew back from Bermuda on Thursday, also was unavailable.

During a two-day investigation at the ship, FBI agents and Bermuda authorities conducted "extensive interviews" with Caputo and examined Jordan's sealed stateroom, the firm said.

August said family members declined an invitation to travel to Bermuda to see the ship's surveillance footage, now held by authorities.

"None of us wanted to watch our loved one plunging to her death," said Jordan's sister. "There's no nice way to say it."

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/NEWS01/805160399/1006

Jul 18, 2:38 PM EDT

Missing man's widow says he mixed booze with pills

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- The widow of a Connecticut man who disappeared during their honeymoon cruise said Friday that her husband had mixed prescription drugs with alcohol the night he vanished three years ago on the Mediterranean Sea.

The widow, Jennifer Hagel Smith, said her husband's family has refused to acknowledge the possibility that George Smith's intoxication from alcohol and prescription drugs may have been a factor in an accidental death. Instead, she said they have insisted Smith was a victim of foul play despite a lack of evidence.

"In the three years since George's disappearance, the Smiths or their representatives have described a crime scene in the cabin on the ship that simply didn't exist," said Richard Sheeley, Hagel Smith's attorney.

"They have published reports of blood evidence that the families now know is baseless," he said, "and they have conjured up a conspiracy that never existed between the cruise line, investigators and, eventually, even the young woman they once welcomed into their family as a daughter."

The conspiracy, Sheeley said, was that the Royal Caribbean cruise line was withholding information from the Smith family.

Smith, of Greenwich, was taking the antidepressant Zoloft and Clonazepam, which treats anxiety and panic disorders, Sheeley said. A doctor had advised him not to drink alcohol while taking the drugs, he said.

Hagel Smith is not saying the prescription drugs and alcohol caused her husband's death, Sheeley said.

"But it could have contributed to an accident that caused his death," he said.

The claim that George Smith used alcohol and prescription drugs the night he disappeared came in a new legal filing Friday in Stamford Superior Court.

Hagel Smith filed a response to an appeal by Smith's relatives, who are challenging a nearly $1.1 million settlement she reached with Royal Caribbean. The deal was approved by a probate court.

Michael Jones, a lawyer for Smith's family, said Sheeley's comments were not accurate, but declined to elaborate. He said Smith's family continues to believe he was a victim of foul play.

Hagel Smith did not want to disclose her husband's use of prescription drugs, but was forced to do so because of his family's "relentless" litigation, Sheeley said.

Hagel Smith has received numerous documents, including cabin access records and statements made to investigators, Sheeley said.

"There's no evidence we can see of murder," Sheeley said.

He said that there was only a "spec" of blood found in the cabin, and that what was originally believed to be blood on a towel turned out to be makeup.

George Smith was on a honeymoon cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship in July 2005 when he vanished somewhere between Greece and Turkey. His body has never been found.

The FBI has investigated Smith's disappearance, but no one has been charged.

In the appeal, Smith's parents and sister said his widow agreed to an inadequate settlement with the cruise ship line to avoid embarrassing disclosures about her conduct.

His disappearance followed a night of heavy drinking. The cruise line said his wife was found passed out on a floor far from their cabin.

Smith's attorney has cited reports of Hagel Smith's drinking and that she argued with her husband the night he disappeared, kicked him in the groin and left the ship's bar. Hagel Smith has called those accounts "ridiculous" and "outlandish."

Hagel Smith's other lawyer, Elizabeth Byrne, said any embarrassing behavior that may have occurred had already been reported and was not a motivation to settle. She said the probate ruling showed the settlement was reasonable and that her client acted in good faith.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CT_CRUISE_DISAPPEARANCE_CTOL-?SITE=RIPRJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Uuhhmmmm If you are out having a drink or two, and someone drops some GHB in it......I guess that can be considered mixing drugs and alcohol.  ::MonkeyTongue::

The poor man is dead, what would have been so bad about disclosing the truth about his use of Zoloft and Clonezapam? Afterall wasn't this an investigation to determine cause of death?

>>>SNIP
Smith, of Greenwich, was taking the antidepressant Zoloft and Clonazepam, which treats anxiety and panic disorders, Sheeley said.

>>>>SNIP
Hagel Smith did not want to disclose her husband's use of prescription drugs, but was forced to do so because of his family's "relentless" litigation, Sheeley said.

Jennifer Hagel Smith, Widow of Missing George Smith Says He Mixed Alcohol & Prescription Drugs the Night He Went Missing

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2008/07/19/jennifer-hagel-smith-widow-of-missing-george-smith-says-he-mixed-alcohol-prescription-drugs-the-night-he-went-missing/

So much for not speaking ill of the dead when they cannot defend themselves. Especially when the deceased person is your missing and presumed dead husband. However, Jennifer Hagel Smith for some reason now feels the need to drag the memory of missing honeymooner George Allen Smith IV through the mud. Jennifer Hagel Smith claimed in court that George Smith mixed prescription drugs with alcohol the night he vanished three years ago on the Mediterranean Sea.

Attacks like this could cripple the cruise industry.
--------------------------------------------------

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/3538744/Pirates-attack-cruise-ship-off-Somali-coast.html

Pirates attack cruise ship off Somali coast

Shots were fired after the luxury cruise ship Oceania Nautica was chased by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
 
By Oliver Smith
Last Updated: 4:52PM GMT 01 Dec 2008

 The Oceania Nautica has outrun pirates off the coast of Somalia
A luxury cruise ship carrying dozens of British passengers has been attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, en route to Oman.

The Oceania Nautica was fired at during its 32-day voyage from Rome to Singapore.

The ship – carrying 690 passengers and 386 crew – was approached yesterday by two small skiffs which fired several shots.

No one on board was hurt and Nautica's captain Jurica Brajcic was able to take evasive action and outrun the two boats.

"One of the skiffs did manage to close the range to 300 yards and fired eight rifle shots in the direction of the vessel before trailing off," said a statement by Oceania. "No one aboard Nautica was harmed and no damage was sustained."

29 Britons are on board the cruise ship, which is due to arrive in Oman today. Passengers paid an average of £15,000 for the cruise.

Last week's capture of the 330-metre Sirius Star, containing two million barrels of oil, was the largest of nearly 100 vessels to be attacked off the coast of Somalia this year.

However, the interception of a cruise ship is far less common. The Gulf of Aden is regularly crossed by cruise ships and the waters are patrolled by anti-piracy forces.

The last such incident involving a cruise ship occurred in November 2005 when the liner Seabourn Spirit was fired upon with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, injuring one crew member.

A spokeswoman for the Passenger Shipping Association - which represents Oceania Cruises - described the incident as a rarity, and maintained that cruising was a safe way to travel.

"Safety is of utmost importance to all cruise companies," she said.

"Each ship must follow security standards and procedures to ensure the well-being of passengers and staff, and they liase with national security and intelligence agencies."

The size of cruise ships means that it can be difficult to board them from smaller vessels. When threatened, some liners possess long-range acoustic devices (LRAD), which emit high frequency noise, to deter potential attackers.
 

Cruise ship evacuated due to Somali pirate threat


BERLIN – Hundreds of passengers on a round-the-world cruise will disembark before reaching waters off Somalia and fly to Dubai to avoid pirates, German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd said Tuesday.

The company said the 150-meter (490-foot) MS Columbus and its crew will continue on through the Gulf of Aden. Passengers will rejoin the vessel in Oman for the remainder of a trip that began last month in Genoa, Italy.

A company spokesman said passengers would be transferred to planes, but would not comment further.

Pirates off the Somali coast have recently started trying to take cruise vessels after a string of attack on cargo ships, including a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and other weapons.

The British naval commander in charge of the European Union's anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia said Tuesday that the force may station armed guards on the most vulnerable cargo ships in high-risk areas.

British Vice-Admiral Philip Jones said the guards may be placed on some ships transporting food aid to Somalia.

The EU mission includes four ships and two maritime reconnaissance aircraft On Dec. 15 it will replace a four-vessel NATO flotilla that has been conducting anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coast.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/ap_on_re_eu/piracy

Search On For Missing Cruise Passenger

POSTED: 2:31 pm EST December 26, 2008

MIAMI -- The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican authorities are searching for a missing cruise ship passenger who may have gone overboard near Cancun.

Authorities said 36-year-old Jennifer Seitz's husband reported her missing from the Norwegian Pearl on Friday around 3:50 a.m. Her hometown was not immediately available.

A Coast Guard search and rescue crew aboard a Falcon jet joined a helicopter on Friday and three surface-asset crewsNorwegian Cruise Line says the ship left Sunday from Miami for a seven-day Western Caribbean cruise.  from Mexico to scan the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.nbc6.net/news/18362458/detail.html?rss=ami&psp=news

Jennifer Seitz

Event Date: December 26, 2008

Bruise: Missing

Bruise Location: Off Mexico

Age:  36

Home Town: Missouri

Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Lines

Ship: Norwegian Pearl

Webcam: Here

Details:
A female passenger has gone missing about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico in the Caribbean Sea, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) reports.

Lt. Matt Moorlag of the USCG based in Miami, said crews would work into the night to find the missing woman identified as Jennifer Seitz. Seitz's husband reported her missing aboard the Norwegian Cruise Lines' Norwegian Pearl at about 0340 hours on the morning of December 26, 2008.

The search was centered about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen, a Coast Guard spokesman.
 
(http://www.cruisebruise.com/Maps/cancun_mexico.JPG)
 
 
Cancun, Mexico is in the far western Caribbean, on the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula.

Norwegian Pearl was on a 7-day Western Caribbean Cruise, having left Miami on Sunday, December 21st for the Christmas holiday cruise. The Pearl is due back in Miami on Sunday, December 28, 2009, when it will leave again for the New Year's cruise.

"Initial reports indicate the guest may have gone overboard while the ship was at sea, east of Cancun," a spokeswoman for the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement.

The Coast Guard dispatched an Air Station Miami HU-25 Falcon jet crew, and a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft crew from the Air Station in Clearwater, Florida, also was headed to the site, Ameen said.

UPDATE: December 27, 2008 - 1030 Hours

The search continues for Mrs. Seitz, after the USCG suspended the search last night. Mrs. Seitz has now been missing in the sea for at least 31 hours.

It is expected the USCG will call off the search and rescue soon.

This story is unfolding, please check  back.

http://www.cruisebruise.com/Jennifer_Feitz.html

US Coast Guard searches for woman who fell from cruise ship

18 hours ago

MIAMI (AFP) — The US Coast Guard said Saturday it launched a C-130 airplane to scour the southeastern Gulf of Mexico in search of a woman who fell from a cruise ship.

The woman was reported missing early Friday from the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl when the vessel was some 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of the Mexican resort town of Cancun en route to Miami, said Coast Guard spokesman Nick Ameen.

After searching the ship, crewmembers contacted Mexican and US authorities for help.

A Coast Guard search and rescue team in Miami launched an HU-25 Falcon jet crew to search for the woman Friday, Ameen said.

And on Saturday "we conducted a first-light search with a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft," Ameen told AFP. "We'll continue to be out there until further notice."

The Mexican government has a helicopter crew and three vessels also searching for the woman, Ameen said.

The missing passenger was identified by her husband as Jennifer Seitz, 36.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ieQJn0K5wlGrpi_20mHghMdipjvA

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- The US Coast Guard say now the woman who reportedly fell overboard early Friday morning is named Jennifer Seitz and not Feitz.  They are not able to say yet where she lived but the search the continues.  Three Mexican Navy boats and a helicopter were searching the waters off the Caribbean resort of Cancun on Saturday.

A US Coast Guard search-and-rescue crew using a Falcon jet halted its efforts to find 36-year-old Seitz late Friday. It was planning to resume early Saturday morning using a larger C-130 aircraft, said Petty Officer Third Class Nick Ameen.

Seitz's husband reported her missing from the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship just before 5 a.m. EST Friday. Mexico's Fifth Naval Regional Command said in a statement that by late Friday it had found no sign of Seitz and was having to deal with "adverse conditions" and strong waves in the search taking place just over 17 miles (27 kilometers) east of Cancun.

"The search is being carried out for an American woman who fell into the sea from a cruise ship east of Isla Mujeres," an island just off the coast from Cancun, the statement said.

Norwegian Cruise Line says the ship left Sunday from Miami for a seven-day western Caribbean cruise.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story/Coast-Guard-searching-for-missing-cruise-ship/KE_F4CMfT0y3SpHbGoRILg.cspx

http://www.cruisebruise.com/Jennifer_Feitz.html has been moved>>

This case has been moved after the USCG initially reported the victims's name incorrectly.

The page is here
http://www.cruisebruise.com/Jennifer_Seitz.html

This part is suspicious, imo, especially if details are correct.

The second turn is new information that a video tape caught Jennifer Seitz going overboard, in her  bath robe, around 2000 hours on the evening of Christmas Day.  This time frame is seven and half hours earlier that the first reports.

This would have the husband reporting his missing wife almost eight hours after she had gone overboard. It also means the USCG and Mexican authorities did not begin the search until nine hours after Mrs. Seizt went into the sea.

Blonde...we had started discussing this in Missing Cruise peeps, etc. Then it was reported that her name was changed because it was reported wrong. So I merged what we had in Missing Cruise peeps to the thread you started for Jennifer, but it shows I started the thread. When threads are merged...the first post on the topic shows as the started thread. Confused yet? Anyway...just wanted you to know I did not hijack your thread...I hope this explains it.

Surveillance video on the ship showed a person going overboard at 8:08 p.m. Thursday. Norwegian Cruiselines has not released the video.
http://www.wesh.com/news/18369986/detail.html

(http://www.truecrimereport.com/jseitz.jpg)


Missing from the Norwegian Pearl: About Jennifer Seitz
Posted at 9:56 PM Dec 28, 2008

Missing Norwegian Pearl passenger Jennifer Ellis Seitz was a freelance writer who had struggled with weight issues in the past and been married twice in the last two years. Jennifer was on the Pearl with her new husband Raymond Seitz and an older woman named Donna Ellis. Ellis is Jennifer's maiden name, so it seems likely that Donna is her mother.

Jennifer Seitz married Michael Rich on June 5, 2005, but the marriage clearly didn't last long. By early 2008, she was married to Raymond Seitz.

Jennifer and Raymond were both members of ObesityHelp.com. There they each kept diaries of the run-up to their respective lap band surgeries. Jennifer actually had two -- diary 1, diary 2. Both were clearly the work of someone accustomed to expressing herself, and were filled with wit and hope. Raymond had his own diary here, and it was more terse and to the point, as well as reflecting his devotion to Nascar, particularly racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. In a note near the bottom of the diary, Raymond wrote about Jennifer:

    When I started this journey in august 2002 I would have never dreamed that I would have been this succesfull I did everything I am suppose to and still do I take my vitamins and get my blood work done reguarally It always comes back awesome my doctor said I have deffinatally done well so hurray for me Thanks to all who have helped me along the way and expecially my surgery and lifelong friend Jen Ellis ( who by the way is such a hottie and has done wonderfull for herself)...

The story of Jennifer's disappearance from the Norwegian Pearl on December 26 is still confusing and full of holes. Several people claiming to have been on the cruise have left comments on a previous entry about the disappearance. Some of the comments are quoted  (or partially quoted) below:

    Kiran: My husband and I just disembarked from the "Norwegian Pearl" today; the same cruise that this woman was on.

    While watching the evening news in our state room a couple of nights ago, we were shocked to learn of the possibility that a woman had fallen overboard.

    It is odd that no announcement of the incident was made by the cruise staff. It seems as though they would have made it public, posted a photo of the woman, and asked guests for any infomration they may have had regarding the passenger on the evening and early morning of her disaapearance.

    The whole ship just went about its activities oblivious to the tradegy. Word spread among some guests during our last day. Everyone we spoke with shared the same suprise that no announcement was made and at the lack of any attempt on the part of NCL to gather information regarding the incident.

    My heart goes out to the her family. I hope they find her.

    Adam Bercovici: I also just got off the Norwiegan Pearl early this morning. The way the ship handled the situation was absolutely dispicable. We were not notified of the situation to see if we could have helped. After asking around to a number of people, I found a family from Louisiana who said that they were directly one floor under the alleged room and heard loud screaming around 8:00pm on Christmas Day, the day we left Cozumel on track to the private cruise island in the Bahamas. The family told us that they called security because they distinctly heard the words "stop hitting me" but that security did nothing in response to their inquiry. Why would it take the husband 6 hours to report his wife missing??? The cruise also should have sent some security personnel over to the room immediately after they were notified. There were many other problems with the Norweigan Pearl that would make me never want to go back but I think this one clinches it...

    rachelle: i was on the ship and there was NO COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH!. we weren't even told she was missing. we found out through cnn. when i asked security about it they said "no comment". wft? cover up....

Another comment was interesting more for who appeared to leave it:

    kerry sanders: If you were on the "Pearl" and happened to buy the video "the not-quite-newlywed show" or if you taped it yourself, I'd love to chat with you. Obviously, that tape has some elements which are now highly interesting. Cheers

Kerry Sanders is the name of a well-known correspondent for NBC and the poster left an NBC e-mail address -- in an address format typically known only to NBC staffers and those of us who have reason to write to them. Sanders typically works stories out of Florida -- so it doesn't seem a big stretch to think this was the reporter himself.

Someone calling themselves "Dr. Tara Kent" left the most interesting, but perhaps most questionable comment:

    Dr. Tara Kent: My husband and I were among the last eight passengers off the ship today; what can I say, he was lazy? Anyhow in the hallway oblivious to the fact that he was being overheard an FBI Agent was giving report to his superiors and it was startlingly lacking in any as previously mentioned by another "poster" real intensive investigative drive. The Agent stated that they were debriefing the two cabins beside the incident and the one above and below. He also stated that he was debriefing the mother...and a "person of interest" - no mention of the male party present. The only reason I am repeating this is because I work for the DOD in a high security related field and I too am appalled by the way the entire incident was handled to include the last part - giving report in an unsecure area - how sloppy... It'd be real easy to commit suicide aboard - you'd be caught on camera as mentioned...homicide, well that's just a bit harder, but not impossible. Oh, yeah I agree about the comprehensive search - there was NONE!!! Deregulation of the cruise industry...hmmmmm, what a phenomenal idea...

The commenter gave specific, verifiable information and was clearly educated, based on writing style. However, it's easy to doubt anyone who claims to "work for the DOD in a high security field" because it seems like the sort of thing you wouldn't say in a blog comment, especially with a real-sounding name attached. I copied "Dr. Tara Kent's" comment into this post simply because it will either be proven b.s. shortly or become the most interesting post left on the previous blog entry about this case.

Police reportedly have video from the ship of a woman in white clothing -- perhaps a robe -- going overboard on the 26th. This has been reported in a manner that leads one to conclude Jennifer Seitz intended to go overboard. And that possibility should not be dismissed. She struggled a great deal with her weight, and a freelance writer never has it easy, career-wise -- it's often feast or famine. Also, two marriages over the space of 3 years seems odd, and potentially indicative of some instability in Jennifer's life -- the sort of instability that could eventually lead to self-destruction.

But why would Kerry Sanders be interested in a tape such as the one he described above, if that was indeed Mr. Sanders? Typically, he'd be interested because he's all over the story and knows some news is on the way.

Whatever happened the other night in the western Caribbean, it added up to tragedy for those who know and love Jennifer Seitz. The question now is this -- was it a personal tragedy, only dragged into the news because of the exotic locale, or a domestic tragedy and a crime?  We'll probably know very soon. If we don't, you'll be hearing about Jennifer Seitz in the news for many days to come.

**ADDED LATER** Bitten and Bound clarifies information about the video mentioned in a comment by Kerry Sanders:

    Ray and Jennifer were participants on a cruise ship game show called "The Not So Newlyweds" where it was learned they have been married for about a year, and had their first date in Orlando, FL.

Thanks to Andrea for the heads-up.

[MSNBC/WESH also: hat-tip to long-time reader Diane for the research and input.]

    *
    *
    *

View Comments (4) | Post Your Comment

Categories: missing persons, unsolved
Tags: Cancun, cruise ship, disappearance, Jennifer Feitz, Jennifer Seitz, Norwegian Pearl, overboard, US Coast Guard, USCG
Comments
Andrea said:

Ray and Jennifer were participants on the cruise ship game show Sanders is interested in.
http://www.bittenandbound.com/2008/12/28/jennifer-ellis-seitz-identified-as-woman-missing-from-cruise-ship-photos/
Posted 12/28/2008 at 11:49:00 PM
cem said:

When I was on a Royal Carribean cruise several years ago a man jumped overboard in an attempt to kill himself after losing his life savings in the casino. Immediately there was an announcement made and searches conducted. The Captain made several announcements and within a few hours he was picked up (ironically) by a gambling ship. The captain made the following announcement (even in the cabins), "He has been found. He can speak. He is ok."
That became the mantra for the rest of the cruise. "I can speak. I am ok."
Posted 12/29/2008 at 12:08:19 AM
abby said:

I was also on the pearl this past week and the cruise ship didn't inform anyone of what was going on. I am discusted of how ncl handled the situation. My family found out on dec 26 around 4 p.m. we were freaked out!!! we didn't know what to do. People started to find out from the news and were discusted that they weren't informed about jennifer. My brother stayed on the opposite side of the hall as jennifer and you could see that there was tape over the key hole and card slot (room #11122). I had heard from a source on board that this was no suicide or accident. I am afraid that no one will know what happened to jennifer except for the crew members and her husband. We all need to keep praying for jennifer and her family. I saw the dating show too and her husband kept saying sorry mom..., jennifer kept hiding her face, they were arguing and the looked completely drunk. They said stuff like they met in a bar and had sex in an alley... huh..... pick your men carefully girls!!
Posted 12/29/2008 at 12:23:42 AM
maggie said:

I don't have anything to add to this conversation, but your coverage of this story, Steve, is an excellent example of why I keep coming back to you and the various blogs you've had over the years. Great work as always, and thank you.
Posted 12/29/2008 at 08:51:09 AM


http://www.truecrimereport.com/2008/12/missing_from_the_norwegian_pea.php

Cruise ship returns with passenger missing, FBI investigating
Surveillance images show passenger falling

6:48 AM EST, December 29, 2008
MIAMI - Cruise ship surveillance images show a woman falling overboard hours before her husband reported her missing from the Miami-based Norwegian Pearl last week, U. S. Coast Guard officials said Sunday.

The FBI began an investigation into the woman's disappearance when the 15-deck vessel returned to the Port of Miami on Sunday morning.

"We're looking to see if a crime was committed on the high seas," said FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock.

He said agents interviewed passengers and crew members Sunday morning and searched the cabin that Jennifer Seitz, 36, occupied. Authorities declined to release additional information about Seitz, including the name of her hometown.

Mexican Navy and U.S. Coast Guard boats and helicopters are searching water off the Caribbean resort of Cancun for Seitz.

Mexico's Fifth Naval Regional Command said in a statement it had found no sign of Seitz. The search was taking place just over 17 miles east of Cancun and beyond, with crews covering more than 2,500 square miles.

After they disembarked, many cruise ship passengers said they were unaware of the situation.

"What missing person? You mean from the show?" said Ginny Miller, 56, of Ohio. She wondered whether the case was related to a mystery-dinner show offered on the cruise.

Norwegian Cruise Line officials did not alert passengers because "there was no public safety issue," said AnneMarie Mathews, spokeswoman for the cruise line.

Authorities said Seitz apparently went overboard about 8 p.m. Friday, as the vessel sailed 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican navy have concentrated their search on that area, but by Sunday night still had not found any trace of Seitz, officials said.

The Norwegian Pearl, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, was on a seven-day tour of the western Caribbean when Seitz vanished. The vessel, which can hold as many as 2,394 passengers, left the Port of Miami on Sunday evening for another voyage with the same itinerary.

Although passenger disappearances are relatively rare, considering that millions of people take cruises every year, her case marks the fifth time a passenger or crew member has disappeared off the Florida coast or in the Caribbean basin this year.Major cruise lines have a voluntary agreement with U.S. authorities to alert them to serious incidents involving U.S. citizens. Some legislators have been trying for years to turn that agreement into law but failed again this year. Authorities and cruise line officials say most of the victims either jump overboard to commit suicide, or fall while intoxicated.

"Some of the disappearances are certainly not crime-related," said Robert McCrie, a professor of security management at John Jay College in New York. "Some people just do stupid things, like sitting on a railing while inebriated," said McCrie, who has studied disappearances of passengers from cruise ships.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-flbmissing1229sbdec29,0,3776052.story

This photo is of the woman identified by NBC as Jennifer Seitz, the passenger missing from the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship. (NBC Photo / December 29, 2008)

FBI Investigating Case of Missing Cruise Passenger
Monday , December 29, 2008


 The FBI has joined the investigation into the disappearance of a woman believed to have fallen off a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico last week.

Jennifer Seitz was reported missing just before 5 a.m. EST Friday on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship by her husband. It was sailing off of Cancun, Mexico, at the time of her disappearance, and U.S. Coast Guard officials said surveillance footage showed a woman believed to be Seitz falling from the ship.

"We're looking to see if a crime was committed on the high seas," said FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock told the Sun-Sentinel.

Leverock said agents spoke to the missing woman's husband when they met the ship at the dock on Sunday. The FBI collected materials on the scene.

Seitz and her husband, identified by several media outlets at Ray Seitz, are believed to be from Winter Haven, Fla.

A U.S. Coast Guard search-and-rescue crew using a C-130 aircraft was looking for the 36-year-old woman late Sunday.

Mexico's Fifth Naval Regional Command said in a statement it had found no sign of Seitz. The search was taking place just over 17 miles east of Cancun and beyond. Crews have covered more than 2,500 square miles searching for Seitz.

Norwegian Cruise Line said the ship returned to Miami Sunday after a seven-day western Caribbean cruise.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,473511,00.html

*******
There's also a video of an interview with a woman who was a passenger on the ship on the right side of the article if you click on the link.  She spoke of rumors of the couple fighting, not being informed by the ship staff, etc.

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/830007.html


FBI joins investigation of missing cruise passenger
 

The red square off the coast of Cancun shows where Jennifer Seitz went missing. PROVIDED BY THE CIA
Photo
Related Content
Jennifer Ellis-Seitz LinkedIn Profile  CBS4 | Clue To Cruise Ship Passenger's Disappearance  BY JOSE PAGLIERY
jpagliery@MiamiHerald.com

The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a Florida woman who may have fallen from a cruise ship 15 nautical miles east of Cancun on Christmas, according to Coast Guard officials and passengers.

Jennifer Seitz, 36, was on a seven-day cruise with her husband aboard the Norwegian Pearl as it traveled through the West Caribbean.

Her husband, whose identity has not yet been released by officials, reported his wife missing at 3:40 a.m. Friday, according to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Jennifer Johnson.


Passengers, however, identified the husband as Ray and said that he and Jennifer Seitz lived in central Florida.

Seitz, an American citizen, is believed to have gone overboard 15 nautical miles east of Cancun.

Coast Guard officials dispatched a Falcon jet from Miami to track down Seitz immediately after they were notified at 7 a.m. At the time, the cruise ship made its way back to Miami, from which it had departed.

U.S. forces joined the Mexican navy, searching 4,200 square miles -- an area slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut.

The Coast Guard later sent a C-130 plane from its base in Clearwater to patrol the area. On Saturday, the sole U.S. aircraft patrolling the waters returned.

Johnson said the Mexican navy continues to have a helicopter and patrol boat near where she disappeared.

The Coast Guard is now developing search plans and providing information for Mexican forces, Johnson said.

The ship pulled into the Port of Miami on Sunday.

The FBI is investigating any possible criminal activity, Johnson said. The Coast Guard is investigating if there were any issues regarding safety compliance on the ship.

Two passengers, Suzanne and Ray Nestor of Connecticut, befriended the couple on ship, saying they ''stood out'' among the ship's passengers.

''They were a couple that was there to have a good time,'' Jim Nestor told NBC's Today show. ``They were definitely different, in my opinion. They were loud; they were what I consider wild. . . . They stood out a lot more than other people.''

The two couples met on the cruise when they participated in an on-board game called ''The Not Quite Newlywed Game,'' modeled on the TV show The Newlywed Game.

This is really a wierd coincidence  ::MonkeyConfused::

I'm an avid reader -- who hasn't had a chance to read in 2 years.  ::MonkeyHaHa::

I'm off from work last week and this week -- so last week I just grabbed a book from the 'light reading' shelf (without looking) and went and sat outside and started reading.

The book is called Skinny Dip -- and it is by Carl Hiassen.

It is about a woman who is thrown overboard on the last night of an anniversary cruise by her husband.

He pushes her over about 11pm, reports her missing in the morning around 8am, and says she left the room to look at the moon around 3am.

In this same area.


Of course, the book is a comedy and there is nothing funny about it when it happens for real.  ::MonkeyWaa::

Egads Sharon! That is weird..  ::MonkeyEek::

FBI Talks To Husband Of Missing Cruise Passenger
Search Continues For Woman Off Mexican Coast

POSTED: Monday, December 29, 2008

MIAMI -- FBI agents have talked to the husband of a woman who reportedly fell from a cruise ship balcony in the waters off Cancun.

FBI spokesman Mike Leverock said agents met the ship at the dock Sunday, collected materials and "are still trying to determine if a crime occurred."

The Coast Guard said a cruise ship surveillance camera showed someone falling overboard at 8 p.m. on Christmas.

Passenger Jennifer Seitz was reported missing from the Norwegian Pearl ship by her husband just before 5 the next morning. Television station WFTV in Orlando reports the 36-year-old missing woman is from Winter Haven in central Florida.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Nick Ameen said Monday that Mexican Navy and U.S. Coast Guard boats and helicopters are continuing to search for her.
http://www.justnews.com/mostpopular/18374568/detail.html

Missing woman’s husband acted odd, passengers say
Video captured woman falling from cruise ship; ‘They were different’

updated 26 minutes ago
At 8 p.m. on Christmas night, a surveillance camera on a Caribbean cruise ship captured the image of a woman in a bathrobe falling over the railing. Two days later, her husband accepted condolences from a fellow passenger and announced his immediate plans — a trip to the ship’s casino.

The husband, identified as Raymond Seitz of central Florida, had reported his wife missing around 4 a.m. Friday, eight hours after the camera recorded the image of the woman identified as his wife, 36-year-old Jennifer Ellis-Seitz. No announcement was ever made to other passengers, and the ship continued on its way as if nothing had happened, according to Jim and Suzanne Nestor, who talked about the incident with TODAY’s Lester Holt Monday in New York.

“He had a plastic bag filled with quarters,” Jim Nestor said, recalling his meeting with Raymond Seitz on Saturday. “He said to me that he was going to the casino to see if he could change his luck.”

Nonchalant behavior
In a report filed for NBC News by Kerry Sanders, other passengers reported similar behavior by Seitz in the wake of his wife’s disappearance.

One passenger, Carter Scurry, described Seitz as “nonchalant.” The man, Scurry said, showed “no remorse.” Scurry said Seitz told him, “Yeah, she might have jumped overboard.”

Raymond Seitz was not detained by police after leaving the ship Sunday in Miami and has not been charged with a crime. The FBI searched the ship for evidence on Sunday before it took on a new load of passengers and embarked on another cruise. Authorities have not said if they suspect an accident, suicide or foul play.

According to media reports cited in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Jennifer Ellis-Seitz is a former Florida newspaper reporter who has also trained poll workers at election time, driven a school bus, and worked as a freelance media professional.

‘Poor protocol’
Jim Nestor is a retired state trooper from Connecticut. He and his wife expressed surprise at the way the disappearance of Ellis-Seitz was handled by the crew of the Norwegian Pearl, a cruise ship operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line.

There were “no announcements. No cabin checks. Nobody showed a picture of her. It was all word of mouth,” Suzanne Nestor told Holt. “From what I understand, somebody’s mother had called a passenger because she had seen it on the news.”

Other passengers learned of the death while watching cable news on the shipboard televisions.

Speaking as a law enforcement professional, Jim Nestor said that what he saw of the crew’s investigation showed “definitely poor protocol. I thought we should at least have been notified that something like this had taken place on the ship.”

The Nestors described Raymond and Jennifer Seitz as a couple determined to enjoy themselves. “They were a couple that was there to have a good time,” Jim Nestor said. “They were definitely different, in my opinion. They were loud; they were what I consider wild ... They stood out a lot more than other people.”

The two couples had met earlier in the cruise when they participated in an on-board game called “The Not Quite Newlywed Game,” modeled on the TV show “The Newlywed Game.” The Nestors, the long-married couple in the group, said their understanding was that the Seitzes had been married one year. A corroborating report said that the couple were celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary on the cruise.

During the game, Jim Nestor talked with Raymond Seitz and his wife Suzanne talked to Jennifer Ellis-Seitz. “She told me [that] after this cruise they were going back to Orlando, where they lived, and she was already packed for another trip to go up north to Bridgeport, Conn., and spend New Year’s Eve in Manhattan,” Suzanne Nestor related.

A video of the onboard game show is blurry and showed little detail of the Seitzes, who were “Couple No. 1” on the show. When word began to spread around the ship that a woman was missing, Jim Nestor said he told friends in the group he was traveling with, “I bet it was Contestant No. 1.”

‘Kind of tight-lipped’
After Ellis-Seitz went missing, Raymond Seitz continued to move around the ship. One passenger told NBC News he even saw Seitz keeping company with another woman. When Jim Nestor talked to Raymond Seitz, he said he couldn’t say anything.

“He was kind of tight-lipped,” Jim Nestor told Holt. “He was talking through his teeth. He told me that he was being watched. He said he was told by the captain he could get out of being confined to a room if he stayed on his own and didn’t deal with any other passengers on the trip.”

The Nestors said that news of the disappearance became like a murder mystery among the other passengers. With no information coming from the cruise line, rumors abounded.

Cruise lines are not required to report deaths, but an investigative report by The Naples News in February 2007 reported that more than 12 million people take cruises every year. From 1999-2007, 97 cruise ship deaths were recorded by the Broward County coroner’s office, the paper reported. From 2004-2007, the Miami Dade County coroner recorded 33 deaths. Most are due to natural causes, and most occur among the large number of retirees who take cruises.

Hampered search
The Coast Guard and Mexican navy searched for the woman over the weekend before calling it off Monday afternoon.

FBI spokesman Mike Leverock says agents met the ship as it arrived in Miami on Sunday, collected materials and “are still trying to determine if a crime occurred.”

A Coast Guard spokesman told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that their efforts were hampered because of the 11-hour gap between the fall recorded on the videotape at 8 p.m. Thursday night and the start of the search. It was almost 5 the following morning before Raymond Seitz reported his wife’s disappearance, after which ship personnel did a three-hour search of the Norwegian Pearl before calling the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard spokesman called the three-hour search “standard operating procedure for them, when they aren’t certain that someone has actually gone overboard.” He also said that the videotape, which is being analyzed by the FBI, is “crucial” to search efforts. According to Orlando, Fla., TV station WFTV, there were about 1,000 surveillance cameras aboard the Norwegian Pearl, raising hopes that more images might help authorities figure out what happened to Ellis-Seitz.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28419077/
video at link >>
Dec. 29: An American woman is missing after going overboard on a Christmas cruise. TODAY’s Lester Holt talks to two passengers who got to know the woman on the trip.

Search Suspended For Cruise Ship Passenger
Ellis-Seitz Reportedly Fell Off Boat Near Mexico Thursday Night

UPDATED: 4:41 pm EST December 29, 2008
MIAMI -- The Coast Guard suspended its 4,200-square mile search Monday at 3 p.m. for a woman who fell off of a Miami cruise ship.

Jennifer Ellis-Seitz was on the Norwegian Pearl when she disappeared, according to the Coast Guard.

Her husband reported the 36-year-old woman missing eight hours later, according to the Coast Guard.

"They are interviewing the husband, they are interviewing the crew, they are interviewing if they can find any witnesses," Dean Lee of the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Ellis-Seitz and her husband, Raymond, participated in a game called the Not Necessarily Newlywed Game, making them recognizable to other passengers on the ship.

FBI agents swarmed the room where Ellis-Seitz stayed on the 11th deck. A couple also cruising spoke exclusively to the "Today" show about Seitz's husband's demeanor.

"After I saw him the day after I had given my condolences, and he had a plastic bag filled with quarters and he had said to me when he was going to the casino to see if he could change his luck," cruise ship passenger Jim Nester said.

"We're in charge of crimes on the high seas and that's what we're doing now, looking for evidence," Michael Leverock of the FBI said.

After searching the ship, crew members contacted Mexican and U.S. authorities for help.

Infared video on the ship seems to show Ellis-Seitz going overboard at 8:08 p.m. Thursday, according to the Coast Guard.

At the time authorities believe Ellis-Seitz went overboard, the ship was about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico.

"They were a couple there to have a good time. They were definitely different in my opinion. They were loud, what I consider wild. They were there to have a good time but they stood out more than other people," Nester said.

Ellis-Seitz's ex-husband, Michael Rich of Melbourne, spoke to WESH 2 News and said they were married for a year and had no children.

He also confirmed that Ellis-Seitz was a former employee of "Florida Today" and other state newspapers, including the "Celebration Independent."

The family of Jennifer Ellis-Seitz e-mailed to "Florida Today," the newspaper where she used to work, the following statement:

"There were no outward signs or indication of anything being wrong or unusual. Jennifer, however, has had previous emotional issues."

Rich said he knows Ellis-Setiz's current husband and called him a "good guy." He said he doesn't think he had anything to do with her disappearance.

Judy Walker spent time with Ellis-Seitz at the Polk County elections office.

"Her personality was such that she was such a natural with people that we had her help out with poll worker training," Walker said.

The ship returned to port in Miami Sunday morning following a seven-day western Caribbean cruise.

Some passengers were upset that they weren't better informed by the cruise ship staff.

The cruise line said there was not a public safety threat for the others, so there wasn't an announcement.

It's believed the Seitzes lived for a time in the Orlando area, as well as Brevard County before moving to the Garden Grove Oaks neighborhood in Winter Haven.

Raymond Seitz was arrested on domestic violence charges in April.

The name of the victim will not be released under Florida law.
http://www.wesh.com/news/18369986/detail.html

This is strange....not sure I want to post all of this.
Jennifer Seitz Update: Info on Raymond Seitz (PHOTOS and VIDEO)
Posted on: December 29th, 2008 by: Andrea

Some photos...past husband/ ... ObesityHelp.com and diary entries
 ::MonkeyEek::
http://www.bittenandbound.com/2008/12/29/jennifer-seitz-update-info-on-raymond-seitz-photos-and-video/

Family believes cruise passenger jumped into sea
By TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press Writer Tamara Lush, Associated Press Writer   – 3 mins ago
MIAMI – The family of a missing cruise ship passenger said Monday that they suspect the woman "chose an unfortunate ending to her life" and jumped from a cruise ship balcony into the waters off Mexico's coast on Christmas night. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Monday for Jennifer Ellis Seitz, a Florida journalist, after combing more than 4,200 square miles off the coast of the popular resort area of Cancun, where the ship had just visited. Mexican authorities said they would continue their search for another 48 hours.

Seitz had "previous emotional issues," yet there were no outward signs of distress while on the seven-night cruise from Miami, her family said in a statement given to one of her former employers, The News Chief in Winter Haven. Seitz's mother joined her daughter and son-in-law on the cruise.

"Jennifer was in a very happy and uplifted mood both before and during the cruise," the Ellis family said in the statement. "She was excited about starting a new job and her future career with a local newspaper. She and her husband had been talking about starting their family. The family suspects that Jennifer chose an unfortunate ending to her life. She was a beautiful and caring person and will be truly missed by all who love her."

Seitz and her husband, Raymond, were celebrating their one-year anniversary on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship.

A surveillance camera showed someone falling overboard at 8 p.m. Christmas night, authorities said. About eight hours later, Raymond Seitz reported his wife missing.

FBI spokesman Mike Leverock says agents met the ship at the dock in Miami on Sunday, collected materials and "are still trying to determine if a crime occurred."

Norwegian Cruise Line said it is "cooperating fully" with the FBI.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time," the company said in a news release.

Raymond Seitz has not been charged with any crime, authorities said Monday.

The couple met in a weight loss support group; both had undergone bariatric surgery. She chronicled her weight loss journey for an Orlando TV station.

She was also a freelance writer, having written articles for The Tampa Tribune, The Ledger in Lakeland, and an online article titled, "Battling the Bulge Onboard," about how not to gain weight while aboard a ship.

On her Web site, Seitz described herself as an "avid traveler and an amateur chef." She was previously a reporter for Florida Today, a newspaper in Melbourne.

Raymond Seitz was arrested in April on a charge of domestic violence-battery after being accused of head-butting his wife. The charge was dropped after he entered a pretrial diversion program. Records show that she asked the prosecutor not to pursue the case.

A fellow passenger on the ship, Jim Nestor, told NBC's Today show that Seitz and her new husband stood out on the ship with "large and raw personalities."

Many of the passengers saw them as contestants on an on-board game called "The Not-So-Newlywed Game," modeled after a 1960s TV quiz show. The game was also carried on the ship's closed-circuit TV channel.

"They stood out a lot more than other people," Nestor, a retired police officer, told NBC.

Nestor, who appeared on the game show with his own wife, said he ran into Raymond Seitz day after his wife was reported missing.

"I had given him my condolences, and he had a plastic bag filled with quarters, and he said to me that he was going to the casino to see if he could change his luck," Nestor said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081230/ap_on_re_us/missing_cruise_passenger

This guy heads to the casino with a bag of quarters, hoping his luck changes, after his wife is missing overboard?  There is something very, very strange about this whole affair imo.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-missing-cruise-passenger-123008,0,2401990.story

FBI investigating possible foul play in disappearance of cruise ship passenger
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

9:07 AM EST, December 30, 2008

A day after the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for a woman who plunged 15 stories from the deck of a cruise ship, the FBI on Tuesday said it hopes the woman or her body are somehow found.

The FBI on Tuesday said it would continue investigating whether foul play was involved in the disappearance of Jennifer Ellis-Seitz, who was traveling with her husband and mother on the Miami-based Norwegian Pearl when she fell from the ship into the Gulf of Mexico near Cancun last week.

FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock said it may re-interview her husband, Raymond Seitz, and other people aboard the ship in the coming days.
"Certainly, we would like to see her alive," Leverock said. "But a body also would further help in trying to figure out what happened here."

More than eight hours lapsed between the time Ellis-Seitz fell from the ship and when her husband reported her missing. But Ellis-Seitz's family said they don't suspect foul play because she suffered from emotional problems and may have committed suicide.

"There were no outward signs or indication of anything being wrong or unusual. Jennifer, however, has had previous emotional issues,'' the family said in a statement Monday. "The family suspects that Jennifer chose an unfortunate ending to her life. She was a beautiful and caring person and will be truly missed by all who love her."

Ellis-Seitz, 36, a journalist who lived in Winter Haven, has been missing since Thursday, and Coast Guard officials said the 11-hour delay between her disappearance and the time they were notified hampered their efforts. In its statement, her family provided a fresh timeline and details of the search.

"Jennifer's husband and mother discovered her missing at around 2 a.m. As it was common for her to walk the ship when she was unable to sleep, her husband began searching the ship for her,'' the statement said. "He could not locate her and so he and her mother notified ship security that she was missing at approximately 3:30 a.m.''

The statement said Ellis-Seitz and her husband were enjoying the trip and looking forward to starting a family. Her mother was even invited to come along.

But guests reported odd behavior by the couple, and court records show that Raymond Seitz headbutted his wife during a fight earlier this year.

Raymond Seitz was charged with assaulting Ellis-Seitz on April 18, according to an arrest report released Monday by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. He completed a pre-trial diversion program in lieu of sentencing, according to court records.

The Polk County arrest report said the couple was arguing when Seitz grabbed his wife's wrists, then intentionally banged his head into her.

"The suspect spontaneously stated that he did in fact strike the victim in the head with his forehead during the argument,'' detectives wrote.

More than 11 hours had passed before the Coast Guard was told Ellis-Seitz was missing, hampering search efforts, Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen said.

"The Coast Guard and Mexican navy conducted an exhaustive search for Jennifer Seitz, but have not located her," said Capt. Dean Lee, who announced the search was stopped at 3 p.m. Monday.

Ellis-Seitz apparently went overboard about 8 p.m. Thursday, as the vessel sailed 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico, but her husband didn't report her missing until nearly 5 the next morning, the Coast Guard said.

At that point, ship security and employees did a three-hour sweep of the Norwegian Pearl before calling the Coast Guard.

"That's standard operating procedure for them, when they aren't certain that someone has actually gone overboard,'' Ameen said. "Obviously when you're dealing with that type of delay, it makes the search that much harder.''

The FBI is investigating and has seized a videotape showing a woman falling from the deck of the ship, authorities said.

Ameen said a videotape has been "crucial'' to the Coast Guard efforts.

FBI agents are analyzing the tape to determine whether Ellis-Seitz accidentally fell of the ship, jumped on her own or was pushed.

Ameen hasn't seen the tape, but said its time and date stamp allowed the Coast Guard to pinpoint the ship's exact location when she went overboard.

Ellis-Seitz trained poll workers during the election season, according to media reports and had also worked as a reporter for several Florida newspapers, including the Ledger, Tampa Tribune and Florida Today, according to a biography on her personal Web site.

She is also is a school bus driver and founder of NewsHound Communications, which does writing, editing, proofreading, training and advertising, the Tribune said.

The News Chief, Winter Haven's local newspaper, said Ellis-Seitz worked there as a reporter in the mid- to late 1990s. She was on the cruise to celebrate her first wedding anniversary, the paper reported.

At the Garden Grove Oaks adult community in Winter Haven, where Ellis-Seitz lived with her mother and husband, security guards shooed away reporters seeking more information about the missing traveler.

Leaving the complex, residents Robert and Betty Kirckl told the Orlando Sentinel they had bowled with Ellis-Seitz and her mother every Monday for the past year. Betty Kircko remembered Ellis-Seitz as a bubbly, "very lovable woman" who had been excited about her upcoming holiday cruise.

A passenger said he talked to Raymond Seitz on the ship after his wife was reported missing.

"He had a plastic bag filled with quarters," Jim Nestor told msnbc.com, recalling his meeting with Seitz on Saturday. "He said to me that he was going to the casino to see if he could change his luck."

Nestor, a retired state trooper from Connecticut, and his wife criticized the way the cruise ship's crew handled the disappearance.

There were "no announcements. No cabin checks. Nobody showed a picture of her. It was all word of mouth," Suzanne Nestor told msnbc.com.

Norwegian Cruise Line officials did not alert passengers because "there was no public safety issue," said AnneMarie Mathews, spokeswoman for the cruise line.

The Nestors said they met the couple earlier in the cruise when they participated in a game on the ship called "The Not Quite Newlywed Game," modeled on the TV show "The Newlywed Game."

The Nestors told msnbc.com that the Seitzes had been married one year.

Suzanne Nestor said Ellis-Seitz "told me [that] after this cruise they were going back to Orlando, where they lived, and she was already packed for another trip to go up north to Bridgeport, Conn., and spend New Year's Eve in Manhattan."

Judy Walker, director of community services at the Polk County supervisor of elections office, said Ellis-Seitz had been hired temporarily last June to help train poll workers. She quickly made a good impression.

"She was so sharp we asked her to work with us during the election," Walker said.

She described Ellis-Seitz was a cheerful woman who "had a smile on her face every time I saw her."

Ellis-Seitz also was an amateur chef and avid traveler. She worked at Florida Today in Brevard County from 2000 to 2004, mainly covering police news, the paper said. She recently has been working as a free-lance writer.

Executive Editor Bob Stover recalled how Ellis-Seitz "was a very vivacious, energetic reporter," who held various positions at the newspaper, including its first full-time online reporter.

She eventually left Florida Today to pursue a teaching job, because she was "looking forward to working with children," he said.

Dien Magno, a journalist who met Ellis-Seitz in 2003 during Magno's internship at Florida Today, recalled how Ellis-Seitz lost weight years ago after undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Soon after, she and Ellis-Seitz went skydiving in Titusville.

"I remember her feeling that she had lost weight. She felt free and was an uninhibited person," Magno said.

Ellis-Seitz kept voluminous entries on her weight loss experiences.

Her former husband, Michael Rich of Brevard County, told Florida Today he was shocked but did not wish to comment further. They were married in 2005 for a year, he said.

An HU-25 Falcon jet crew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami, C-130 fixed-wing aircraft crews from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., and Mexican navy patrol boat and helicopter crews searched more than 4,200 square miles for the woman, the Coast Guard said.

The Norwegian Pearl, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, was on a seven-day tour of the western Caribbean when the woman vanished.

The vessel, which can hold as many as 2,394 passengers, arrived back at the Port of Miami on Sunday. It left later that evening for another voyage with the same itinerary.

Staff Writer Juan Ortega, the Orlando Sentinel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tonya Alanez can be reached at tealanez@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4542.

Mexico Calls Off Search for Missing Cruise Passenger
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Mexico called off its search Tuesday for a cruise-ship passenger believed to have fallen into the Gulf of Mexico on Christmas night as her family said she may have taken her own life.

The U.S. Coast Guard called off its search Monday night for Jennifer Ellis Seitz, a Florida journalist, who was reported missing by her husband about eight hours after a surveillance camera captured a person falling overboard.

An FBI spokesman said Tuesday that agents were still investigating. No one has been charged.

Her husband, Raymond Seitz, was arrested earlier this year on a domestic battery charge, after he allegedly head-butted his wife. The charge was later dismissed after he completed a diversionary program. Records show that she asked the prosecutor not to pursue the case.

Seitz had "previous emotional issues," yet there were no outward signs of distress while on the seven-night cruise from Miami, her family said in a statement. Seitz's mother joined her daughter and son-in-law on the Norwegian Pearl, as the couple cruised to celebrate their first anniversary.

"Jennifer was in a very happy and uplifted mood both before and during the cruise," the Ellis family said in the statement. "She was excited about starting a new job and her future career with a local newspaper. She and her husband had been talking about starting their family. The family suspects that Jennifer chose an unfortunate ending to her life. She was a beautiful and caring person and will be truly missed by all who love her."

FBI spokesman Mike Leverock said agents were "still trying to determine if a crime occurred" after collecting evidence when the ship docked Sunday in Miami.

Norwegian Cruise Line said it is "cooperating fully" with the FBI.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time," the company said in a news release.

Raymond Seitz has not been charged with any crime, authorities said Monday. A message left seeking comment at the couple's house wasn't immediately returned, and a call to the paving company that employs him rang unanswered.

The couple met in a weight loss support group; both had undergone bariatric surgery. She chronicled her weight loss journey for an Orlando TV station.

She was also a freelance writer, having written articles for The Tampa Tribune, The Ledger in Lakeland, and an online article titled, "Battling the Bulge Onboard," about how not to gain weight while aboard a ship.

On her Web site, Seitz described herself as an "avid traveler and an amateur chef." She was previously a reporter for Florida Today, a newspaper in Melbourne.

A fellow passenger on the ship, Jim Nestor, told NBC's Today show that Seitz and her new husband stood out on the ship with "large and raw personalities."

Many of the passengers saw them as contestants on an on-board game called "The Not-So-Newlywed Game," modeled after a 1960s TV quiz show. The game was also carried on the ship's closed-circuit TV channel.

"They stood out a lot more than other people," Nestor, a retired police officer, told NBC.

Nestor, who appeared on the game show with his own wife, said he ran into Raymond Seitz a day after his wife was reported missing.

"I had given him my condolences, and he had a plastic bag filled with quarters, and he said to me that he was going to the casino to see if he could change his luck," Nestor said.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,473987,00.html

Strange story/case IMO

This guy heads to the casino with a bag of quarters, hoping his luck changes, after his wife is missing overboard?  There is something very, very strange about this whole affair imo.
[/quote]

This is exactly what I was thinking. I realize she had emotional problems, but boy that sure could be a good alibi. I mean, seriously, who goes gambling when their wife is missing (and supposedly committed suicide) and says such a thing. If this is an accurate statement by this other passenger, Nestor, then methinks something smells very fishy; and I don't mean the ocean.

Missing Cruise Passenger Was Bipolar

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

FROM ABC NEWS -- An eight-story plunge off a cruise ship may have been the purposeful last moment in a life that alternated between happiness and struggle for writer Jennifer Seitz, her brother told "Good Morning America" today on WSB-TV Channel 2 in an exclusive interview.

Investigators say cameras captured the missing cruise passenger going overboard. Jennifer Seitz, 36, fought weight problems along with serious emotional issues that could have been a factor in her disappearance early Friday morning.

"She was recently, within the last few years, diagnosed as bipolar," said her brother, who requested his name not be used. "It's going to be a torment and a torture for this family for the rest of our natural lives."

The mystery surrounding the woman's disappearance began on a warm Christmas night aboard the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, when Jennifer Seitz, who lived in central Florida, may have taken a stroll on the decks of the ship.

"My sister commonly woke up in the middle of the night. She was getting up pretty much every night at about, you know, 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning and walking around the ship just to ease her mind and then go back to bed," her brother told "GMA."

The fact that she never came back is about the only thing investigators are sure of, despite the reported existence of a video that shows a woman in a white bathrobe going overboard early Friday morning.

According to Jennifer Seitz's brother, her husband, Raymond Seitz, got up later to find her and, when he could not locate his wife, reported her missing to ship security. Her mother was also staying with the couple.

"It's horrible that they both had to be there when she made the choice she made," her brother said.

After 72 hours of combing thousands of miles off the coast of Mexico, the Coast Guard suspended the search and said Monday, "There's no longer any real probability of survival."

While the FBI attempts to determine whether a crime occurred, the Seitz family is searching for answers as to why Jennifer Seitz may have taken her life. According to the FBI, Raymond Seitz is not a suspect in her disappearance.

To the family, Jennifer Seitz's possible suicide is especially distressing because of her attitude before the cruise.

"Jennifer was in a very happy and uplifted mood both before and during the cruise," the family said in a statement.

Jennifer Seitz was a freelance writer who penned articles for the Tampa Tribune and Florida Today and she wrote an online article called "Battling the Bulge on Board" about staying fit aboard a cruise. In addition to writing, Jennifer Seitz was an avid chef and trained poll workers during elections.

"She's always been a person that has been very ambitious and always gone after the things she's wanted in life," her brother said. "She was always a go-getter."

One of those things she wanted and got was her husband. The couple met at a support group after both had obesity surgery. They were married a year ago and, according to Jennifer Seitz's brother, Raymond Seitz was a devoted husband.

"He loved my sister so deeply. You could see it in every way he touched her, every way he talked to her," the brother said. "He would pick her up from any low that she ever had."

Some passengers on the cruise, however, said the husband behaved strangely after Jennifer Seitz's disappearance.

"He was walking around the ship like nothing had happened," one witness said.

Raymond Seitz was arrested in April on charges of domestic violence. He allegedly head-butted Jennifer Seitz, but the charge was dropped when she requested that prosecutors not pursue the case.

For Jennifer Seitz's brother, speculation of foul play is unfounded and insulting.

"I can't even use the words on an interview that I want to use to the people who are speculating, who are outright lying, who are just trying to get their five minutes of fame," he said. "These people from this cruise ship who think that they know people because they talked to them for 2½ minutes have no clue who they met."

But even for Jennifer Seitz's family, questions abound about what might have caused her abrupt change of mood.

"I would love to say that we have evidence that we know what happened to my sister," her brother said. "But that evidence doesn't exist."
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/18382860/detail.html?rss=atl&psp=news

Missing Cruise Passenger Probe May Take Weeks

Dec. 31, 2008
The investigation of the disappearance of cruise ship passenger Jennifer Ellis-Seitz of Winter Haven could take weeks, FBI spokesman Mike Leverock said today.

Family members say Ellis-Seitz, reported missing Friday from a cruise ship off Cancun, Mexico, has had emotional issues and might have chosen "an unfortunate ending to her life."

The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexico's navy have called off the search for Ellis-Seitz, 36.

The Coast Guard says there are images from a cruise ship surveillance camera of someone falling from the Norwegian Pearl about 8 p.m. Christmas Day.

Raymond Seitz reported his wife missing to cruise ship personnel shortly before 4 a.m. Friday. Employees searched the ship and notified the Coast Guard.

Norwegian Cruise Line said the ship returned to Miami on Sunday after the seven-day cruise of the western Caribbean.

Leverock said agents are trying to determine whether a crime occurred and may re-interview passengers, family and crew members.

Ellis-Seitz, a Central Florida native, is founder of NewsHound Communications, which does writing, editing, proofreading, training and advertising, according to the company's Web site. She also is a school bus driver, amateur chef and avid traveler.

As a journalist, she worked for Florida Today, The (Lakeland) Ledger and The Tampa Tribune, according to her Web site. Tribune archives show a Jennifer Ellis was a Tribune correspondent from January to August 1997.

Court records show Raymond Seitz was arrested in April after Ellis-Seitz called 911 and told authorities he grabbed her wrist when they were arguing and hit her forehead with his forehead. About two weeks later, she signed a written statement saying she wanted the charges dismissed.

In the written statement, she said "the charges are overblown and that there were underlying aggravations, including my own actions."

Court records show Seitz completed a domestic violence course and that charges against him were dismissed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28455504/

Missing Cruise Passenger’s 911 Call From April Released
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:28:45 PM
LAKE WALES -- News 13 has obtained a 911 call made by Jennifer Ellis-Seitz about a domestic violence incident in April.

Ellis-Seitz: "Yes, my husband and I have been fighting and he's hit me with his head, and we've been fighting, and he's now trying to leave."

Ellis-Seitz: "And he's telling me I’m going to regret this if I do this if I call you, but he's left me no other choice."

Dispatcher: "Where's he at now?"

Ellis-Seitz: "He's in the closet."

Later on in the call Ellis-Seitz tells deputies not to respond, saying she didn't want news of the trouble to get out. However, deputies did anyway.

Ellis-Seitz was with her husband Raymond Seitz Dec. 25 when she went overboard off a cruise ship near Cancun.

All searches for her have since been called off.

Investigators have said they don't think Raymond is a suspect in the case. Family members said they think she may have jumped overboard as part of a suicide attempt.

LISTEN to the call here>
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/12/31/missing_cruise_passengers_911_call_from_april_released.html

 ::MonkeyConfused::  ::MonkeyEek::

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-man-overboard-cruise-ship-0101,0,1051059.story

Carnival employee missing after falling overboard near Vero Beach

Carnival employee missing after falling overboard near Vero Beach
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
8:25 AM EST, January 1, 2009
The Coast Guard is searching for an employee who fell off the Carnival Sensation cruise ship early Thursday.

The ship was at sea, about 20 miles east of Vero Beach.

The man's co-workers said he fell overboard about 12:50 a.m. The ship's officials contacted the Coast Guard and are helping with the search.

The ship was supposed to dock at Port Canaveral Thursday morning.

Happy New Years !!  ::MonkeyDance::
I saw Dr Keith Ablow commenting on this story on Fox.
He stated that women don't kill themselves this way. This woman was on her 1st anniv. cruise with husband and mom. Previous domestic call to the home due to head butting by the hubby. She told 911 operator he was hiding in the closet. The hubby sounds stranger than she does. My bet is on the hubby with quarters pushing her..  ::MonkeyEek::

The area off the coast of Somalia isn't like the Carribbean with lots of cruise ship traffic. It's a war zone. And people like Cynthia McKinney who thinks she can take a yacht with emergency supplies into Gaza will be destroyed in war zone waters.

Yes, in the future there will be ship hijacking and the Achille Lauro was an example of terrorism attacks on non-muslims all over the world. There have been over 15000 terrorism incidents since 911. The list is here:
www.thereligionofpeace.com

Thanks for posting this, flamom.  When I read that the surveillance video showed her going overboard around 8pm Christmas night I suspected he may have pushed her.  Just never posted that thought not having seen the video, the details or anything about it's clarity.  Having been on one cruise with family and friends, it would be natural they should have had plans for dinner or had had dinner and would be seeing a show or doing something that night.  Could he have told her mother some story early and then hours later pretend to look for her?   

I agree about him & his quarters.

I too agree...no suicide.  ::MonkeyNoNo::

No sign of missing cruise line worker 1/2/09
VERO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard says search efforts taking place Friday in Vero Beach, Fla., have found no trace of a cruise line worker who went overboard this week.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer James Harless said weather and water conditions during Thursday's accident were not promising for the unidentified 26-year-old Carnival Cruise Lines employee's survival, the South Florida Sun-Sentinels reported.

"It is not a favorable situation for his survival," Harless said, referring to the 25 mph winds and up to 8-foot-tall waves occurring Thursday.

Harless also said the fact that the worker was not wearing a life vest when he fell nearly 82 feet was not a favorable detail.

"It is a high distance. He fell into 7-foot seas without a life jacket at night," Harless said. "There were winds and strong current he was battling with along with the high seas."

The Sun-Sentinel said two airplanes, two helicopters and four boats have been used to search for the worker, whose Carnival Sensation ship had just returned from a Bahamas cruise.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/02/No_sign_of_missing_cruise_line_worker/UPI-22391230923302/

PORT CANAVERAL -- The man who fell overboard while working on a Carnival cruise ship has been identified as Antonio Matabang, 26, of California.
The Coast Guard called off the search for Matabang Friday. See Previous Story.

Matabang was working on the Carnival Sensation cruise ship during the early morning hours of the new year.

Six other employees saw Matabang fall overboard, according to the Coast Guard.

Officials said Matabang, a member of the ship's entertainment staff, fell over 80 feet to the waters below.

A life buoy was tossed in, bus Matabang did not appear to get to it.

Hope for finding Matabang alive continues to fade.

"We were ready to respond, and that's why we felt so confident we were going to find this individual," said Public Affairs Specialist 2nd Class James Harless, with the Coast Guard in Jacksonville. "We already had an aircraft in the air by the time he fell overboard. When we couldn't find him intially, that made us worry that we weren't going to be able to find this guy."

Coast Guard ships and helicopters covered an area more than 3,000 square miles, but turned up nothing.

A Carnival representative said the cruise line does not plan on releasing any more statements on the search for Matabang.

http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/1/3/missing_cruise_ship_worker_identified.html

Thanks, nut.

They're not releasing any other information about the 'accident' here, either.

I will try to make contact with colleagues at Carnival this week -- although I doubt they know much more.

I have said this before (although many choose not to agree) -- it is NOT easy to have an 'accident' and fall overboard.

Statements like that about 'accidents' leave the impression that you can be innocently walking along the deck, or sitting on your balcony, when whooosh suddenly you find yourself overboard.

I'm sure it was an 'accident' -- in terms of it was not intentional. But I want to know more info before I judge.

I'll post if I find out anything additional.

My thoughts and prayers with the Matabang family.

From this morning. He may have been trying to take a photo  ::MonkeyWaa:: Seaarch has been called off.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpcruise0104sbjan04,0,3496700.story

{snipped}

Matabang went overboard about 12:50 a.m. Thursday about 20 miles east of Vero Beach. Passengers said he may have been trying to take a photo. Colleagues tried to toss him life preservers, but he slipped into the depths

{snipped}

Elderly Couple Missing Aboard Cruise Ship Carnival Paradise … Presumed to have Gone Overboard

An elderly couple has gone missing aboard the Carnival Paradise that set sail from Long Beach, CA. A 90 year old man and his 79 year old wife were last seen Tuesday, January 13, 2009 aboard the Carnival Paradise. They are presumed to have gone overboard. The couple’s names and hometowns have not been released. Their cabin door was double locked from the inside with a “do not disturb” sign hanging on the door handle. It is also being reported that the door to the balcony from their room was unlocked.

A statement released overnight by Carnival says the 90-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife were aboard the Carnival Paradise when it set sail from Long Beach, Calif., on Monday but could not be found when the ship returned Friday.

“Their cabin door was double locked from the inside with a do not disturb sign on the handle and the door leading from the cabin to the balcony was unlocked,” the statement says. “The couple’s personal belongings remained inside the cabin.”

Carnival says all proper authorities have been notified, including the U.S. Coast Guard and FBI, and the cruise line is providing full assistance.

The Coast Guard has suspended the search for the elderly couple who are believed to have fallen overboard.

The Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday for an elderly couple believed to have fallen off a cruise ship between Long Beach and northern Mexico.

The aerial search for the 90-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife was halted after officials determined that their chances of surviving in the water were slim, said Chief Warrant Officer Scott Epperson.

“Factoring in their age and weights, their survivability in 59 degrees water was about 4 to 6 hours,” he said. “The last time they were seen was 84 hours ago.”
http://missingexploited.com/2009/01/17/elderly-couple-missing-aboard-cruise-ship-carnival-paradise-presumed-to-have-gone-overboard/

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=61515836.blog

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,480304,00.html

Cruise passenger missing after falling overboard off Bahamas

3:03 PM EDT, April 18, 2009
MIAMI - The Coast Guard is searching for a 39-year-old man who went overboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship off the Bahamas.

The incident happened early Saturday morning, about 60 miles north of Nassau.

The man was not immediately identified, but fellow passengers saw him go overboard.

The ship was headed to Nassau, its first port of call on a three-day voyage. Several cruise ships in the area were assisting Coast Guard crews in the search.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-cruise-passenger-norwegian-overboard-041809,0,3530832.story

Cruise passenger missing off Bahamas after falling overboard; Coast Guard suspends search

MIAMI (AP) — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 39-year-old man who went overboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship off the Bahamas.

The incident happened early Saturday morning, about 60 miles north of Nassau.

The man was not immediately identified, but fellow passengers saw him go overboard.

The ship was headed to Nassau, its first port of call on a three-day voyage. Several cruise ships in the area were assisting Coast Guard crews in the search.

The Coast Guard says in a release that it suspended its search around 8 p.m. Saturday after searching 590 square miles.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-missing-cruise-passenger,1,2940350.story

Apr 19, 12:41 AM EDT

Man missing after falling overboard in Bahamas



MIAMI (AP) -- The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 39-year-old man who went overboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship off the Bahamas.

The incident happened early Saturday morning, about 60 miles north of Nassau.

The man was not immediately identified, but fellow passengers saw him go overboard.

The ship was headed to Nassau, its first port of call on a three-day voyage. Several cruise ships in the area were assisting Coast Guard crews in the search.

The Coast Guard says in a release that it suspended its search around 8 p.m. Saturday after searching 590 square miles.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MISSING_CRUISE_PASSENGER?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Crews search Gulf for missing teen

Updated: May 25, 2009 02:38 PM EDT
GULF OF MEXICO (WAFB) - The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the Gulf waters off the east coast of Florida for a Hammond teen that went missing from a cruise ship that sailed out of New Orleans on Saturday.

Authorities believe 18-year-old Bruce O'Krepki went overboard about 150 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida.

O'Krepki recently graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond.

Officials say he was on board the Carnival Cruise Ship Fantasy for a senior trip.

The ship was on its way to Key West when O'Krepki came up missing.

The coast guard is scouring the area by air and sea where rescue crews believe the young man was lost.

According to friends of the family members, O'Krepki's parents were chaperons on the trip.

http://www.wafb.com/global/story.asp?s=10418828

(http://wafb.images.worldnow.com/images/10418828_BG1.jpg)

Nut or other Mod....Please delete the O'Krepki post I started in the News section.  Thanks, Mere

MERE...I usually merge them, but I can't find it. Someone must have deleted it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teen Missing Off Florida After Fall From Cruise Ship
by The Associated Press

May 26, 2009 · The Coast Guard searched the Gulf of Mexico by boat and from the air for a second day Tuesday for an 18-year-old from Louisiana who fell overboard during a cruise to celebrate his high school graduation.

The Coast Guard said Bruce O'Krepki went over the rails of the Carnival Fantasy on Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa.

A Coast Guard cutter and two aircraft searched for him Tuesday, Petty Officer Rob Simpson said.

O'Krepki graduated with honors from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 30 classmates and members of their families on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones.

The ship had left New Orleans en route to Key West.

"We hope people are keeping Bruce in their thoughts and prayers," Rick O'Krepki said.

Bruce O'Krepki was one of 65 seniors who graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas on May 9 and planned to attend Louisiana State University on an academic scholarship, his uncle said.

"Just like any recent grad, he was excited about starting college," Rick O'Krepki said. "But he was also a bit sad that he wouldn't be seeing his friends from school every day anymore."

The teen's older brother is a freshman at LSU. A younger brother is a rising high school senior, and younger sister will be junior.

Bruce O'Krepki's soccer coach John Cox described the teen as someone who was connected to the community and his family.

"It's a huge burden for the community," Cox said.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104545456&ft=1&f=1003

I have no desire to ever go on a cruise ship....too many of these missing persons happening in my opinion...
how sad for this young man and his family...he had everything to look forward to...

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/46157622.html

Coast Guard ends search for missing La. teenager


By DAVID J. MITCHELL
Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: May 27, 2009 - Page: 1B
 
 

HAMMOND — The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for a Hammond teenager who went overboard from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday night while on a senior trip with his parents and his fellow high school graduates, a spokesman said.

The nearly two-day search for Bruce A. O’Krepki, 18, of Hammond, covered more than 5,300 square miles of open water in the Gulf of Mexico, 150 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla., said Robert Simpson, spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard, 7th District, St. Petersburg, Fla., sector.

O’Krepki, who planned to go to LSU in the fall after graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Hammond May 9, went overboard about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, Simpson and family and friends have said.

O’Krepki fell from the 10th deck of the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship into the water, Simpson has said.

At 10 p.m. Sunday, the ship reported O’Krepki missing to search-and-rescue coordinators at the 7th Coast Guard District in Miami, Simpson said Tuesday.

“After an exhaustive search effort to find Bruce O’Krepki, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our active search efforts,” Capt. Drew Pearson, the 7th Coast Guard District’s chief of search and rescue, said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

The announcement came after Coast Guard officials and relatives of O’Krepki began to acknowledge Tuesday afternoon that with no sign of him yet, the search by five aircraft and a 110-foot Coast Guard cutter was probably near its end.

The Coast Guard uses a computer model to help determine how long a person can survive in the open water, said Lt. Commander Kristi Luttrell, supervisor of Coast Guard’s 7th District Rescue Coordination Center in Miami.

In an interview late Tuesday morning while the search was still under way, Luttrell said the model currently indicates a person can survive in the Gulf for greater than 36 hours, but puts no specific limit on how long, because of the warm water conditions.

Luttrell said that in such conditions, that model is not relied on as heavily as other factors, such as the missing person’s physical and mental condition, weather, availability of search assets and the “will to live.”

She said the Coast Guard tries to take the most conservative estimate to give people missing at sea the best chance to be found.

But the Coast Guard eventually determined it was time to end the search, Simpson said, based on the “really reasonable expectation” that O’Krepki did not survive

Hi...another monkey provided a link to the top deck waterpark play area.  Note that the railings are not high.  But....no one has said that he went over at this point....no one has
said how he went over.....or if someone saw the accident.  Very sad day for this family.

http://www.cruiseweb.com/CARNIVAL-FANTASY-PHOTO-GALLERY-15.HTM

that is what I was wondering...no explanation that I have seen of what happened...
how does anyone just go over a railing ? no cruises for me...this is happening much too often without a good reason as to how or why...the cruise ships are going to have to make some changes on these rails in my mind...

those railings are much too low in my opinion...they should be at least 4 ft tall, to make it difficult to just lean over and fall over board...did friends see him fall?
on the news just now it said that he was on the cruise with friends and family as chaperones...were his parents on the cruise ship at the time?

Monkeys...yesterday when I posted #107 above, I did not know that there was more to the article...which I found this morning while looking for an update.  Here is the rest of the article.



http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/46157622.html?index=14&c=y

Page 2 of 3
SINGLE PAGE VIEW

An O’Krepki family spokesman thanked the Coast Guard Tuesday night and said the O’Krepkis were grieving the loss.

“I would just say the family of Bruce O’Krepki is deeply saddened by all the events that have taken place up to this time, and we are extremely thankful for the support of our friends and family in the community and a very, very special thanks goes out to the United States Coast Guard,” said Rick O’Krepki, who is Bruce O’Krepki’s uncle.

“Their efforts are deeply appreciated.”

Rick O’Krepki, 53, of Covington, said his brother, who is also named Bruce, and his wife, Geri, returned to Hammond Tuesday evening from Key West, Fla., to begin to take care of family business.

The O’Krepkis went on the seven-day cruise with their son, Bruce, and around 30 of his classmates and their relatives who organized the non-school-sponsored trip.

The Carnival Fantasy sailed Saturday from New Orleans and had planned stops in Key West and Nassau, the cruise line said in a prepared statement. Family members had previously said the trip was a six-day cruise that started Sunday.

The apparent end of the search came as the Coast Guard reported second-hand information that Bruce A. O’Krepki’s relatives told the Coast Guard the family knew of witnesses who allegedly saw the young man jump from the ship.

But Simpson said the Coast Guard has not spoken to those alleged witnesses yet and has not opened an investigation. Some may still be on the cruise, Simpson said.

Simpson and family and friends speaking to the news media had previously said they did not know the circumstances surrounding O’Krepki’s going overboard and whether there were witnesses.

A statement from Carnival Cruise Lines Monday says that “a male guest was witnessed going overboard on the Carnival Fantasy while the vessel was approximately 165 miles from Key West.”

A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman did not answer a request Tuesday for more information about who the witness or witnesses are and what they actually saw.

Simpson did say there is no belief at this point that foul play was involved.

When asked of the report of alleged witnesses, Rick O’Krepki said he was aware of it but could not comment because he had not heard that information first-hand.

Page 3 of 3

“That is something that we just can’t substantiate and will not do so until it is absolutely verified,” he said.

The Advocate 
May 27, 2009 Wednesday
 
Search for missing teen ends  :cry:
 
HAMMOND - The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday for a Hammond teenager who went overboard from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday night while on a senior trip with his parents and his fellow high school graduates, a spokesman said.

The nearly two-day search for Bruce A. O'Krepki, 18, of Hammond, covered more than 5,300 square miles of open water in the Gulf of Mexico, 150 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla., said Robert Simpson, spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard, 7th District, St. Petersburg, Fla., sector.

O'Krepki, who planned to go to LSU in the fall after graduating from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Hammond May 9, went overboard about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, Simpson and family and friends have said.

O'Krepki fell from the 10th deck of the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship into the water, Simpson has said.

At 10 p.m. Sunday, the ship reported O'Krepki missing to search-and-rescue coordinators at the 7th Coast Guard District in Miami, Simpson said Tuesday.

"After an exhaustive search effort to find Bruce O'Krepki, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our active search efforts," Capt. Drew Pearson, the 7th Coast Guard District's chief of search and rescue, said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."

The announcement came after Coast Guard officials and relatives of O'Krepki began to acknowledge Tuesday afternoon that with no sign of him yet, the search by five aircraft and a 110-foot Coast Guard cutter was probably near its end.

The Coast Guard uses a computer model to help determine how long a person can survive in the open water, said Lt. Commander Kristi Luttrell, supervisor of Coast Guard's 7th District Rescue Coordination Center in Miami.

In an interview late Tuesday morning while the search was still under way, Luttrell said the model indicates a person can survive in the Gulf for greater than 36 hours, but puts no specific limit on how long, because of the warm water conditions.

Luttrell said that in such conditions, that model is not relied on as heavily as other factors, such as the missing person's physical and mental condition, weather, availability of search assets and the "will to live."

She said the Coast Guard tries to take the most conservative estimate to give people missing at sea the best chance to be found.

But the Coast Guard eventually determined it was time to end the search, Simpson said, based on the "really reasonable expectation" that O'Krepki did not survive.

An O'Krepki family spokesman thanked the Coast Guard Tuesday night and said the O'Krepkis were grieving the loss.

"I would just say the family of Bruce O'Krepki is deeply saddened by all the events that have taken place up to this time, and we are extremely thankful for the support of our friends and family in the community and a very, very special thanks goes out to the United States Coast Guard," said Rick O'Krepki, who is Bruce O'Krepki's uncle.

"Their efforts are deeply appreciated."

Rick O'Krepki, 53, of Covington, said his brother, who is also named Bruce, and his wife, Geri, returned to Hammond Tuesday evening from Key West, Fla., to begin to take care of family business.

The O'Krepkis went on the seven-day cruise with their son, Bruce, and around 30 of his classmates and their relatives who organized the non-school-sponsored trip.

The Carnival Fantasy sailed Saturday from New Orleans and had planned stops in Key West and Nassau, the cruise line said in a prepared statement. Family members had previously said the trip was a six-day cruise that started Sunday.

The apparent end of the search came as the Coast Guard reported second-hand information that Bruce A. O'Krepki's relatives told the Coast Guard the family knew of witnesses who allegedly saw the young man jump from the ship.

But Simpson said the Coast Guard has not spoken to those alleged witnesses yet and has not opened an investigation. Some may still be on the cruise, Simpson said.

Simpson and family and friends speaking to the news media had previously said they did not know the circumstances surrounding O'Krepki's going overboard and whether there were witnesses.

A statement from Carnival Cruise Lines Monday says that "a male guest was witnessed going overboard on the Carnival Fantasy while the vessel was approximately 165 miles from Key West."

A Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman did not answer a request Tuesday for more information about who the witness or witnesses are and what they actually saw.

Simpson did say there is no belief at this point that foul play was involved.

When asked of the report of alleged witnesses, Rick O'Krepki said he was aware of it but could not comment because he had not heard that information first-hand. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:979259993&start=15

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CRUISE_DISAPPEARANCE?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

Jun 8, 5:56 PM EDT

Conn. widow: foul play possible in cruise case

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
Associated Press Writer
 NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- The family of a Connecticut man who disappeared from his honeymoon cruise in 2005 says federal authorities believed he was the victim of foul play, according to records released Monday.

But the man's widow disagreed, saying the FBI told her there is a 50 percent chance he was the victim of foul play.

George Smith of Greenwich was aboard a Royal Caribbean ship when he vanished somewhere between Greece and Turkey. His body never has been found.

The FBI has investigated Smith's disappearance, but no one has been charged. A telephone message was left for the FBI, but the agency usually does not comment on ongoing investigations.

Attorneys for Smith's family asked his widow, Jennifer Hagel Smith, about a meeting with the FBI that included prosecutor Peter Jongbloed.

"Do you recall Mr. Jongbloed actually interjecting and looking right at you and saying, 'Jennifer, we also believe there was foul play,' meaning the Department of Justice and the FBI," an attorney for Smith's family asked.

Hagel Smith disagreed. After some back and forth, she eventually said an FBI agent told her he didn't rule out foul play or an accident.

"But the fact of the matter is in his mind that it was 50-50," Hagel Smith said.

She said federal authorities told her they didn't have enough information to indict anyone and they were near the end of their investigation.

George Smith's family is challenging a nearly $1.1 million settlement Hagel Smith reached with Royal Caribbean. The deal was approved by a probate court, but Smith's family appealed to Stamford Superior Court.

Records from the probate hearing were released Monday. Some of the documents were blacked out in consultation with federal authorities.

Smith's disappearance followed a night of heavy drinking. The cruise line said his wife was found passed out on a floor far from their cabin.

Hagel Smith has said that she has no recollection of what happened and that she passed an FBI lie detector test.

Hagel Smith has said her husband's family refuses to acknowledge the possibility that George Smith's intoxication from alcohol and prescription drugs may have been a factor in an accidental death. Instead, she said they have insisted Smith was a victim of foul play despite a lack of evidence.

Hagel Smith's attorney has said that there was only a "speck" of blood found in the cabin, and that what was originally believed to be blood on a towel turned out to be makeup. Blood stains were found on a canopy that covers life boats.

Smith was taking the antidepressant Zoloft and Clonazepam, which treats anxiety and panic disorders, according to Hagel Smith's attorney.

Smith's attorney says there was no evidence he took prescription drugs. They also say they did not receive witness statements or documents from Royal Caribbean.

In the appeal, Smith's parents and sister said his widow agreed to an inadequate settlement with the cruise ship line to avoid embarrassing disclosures about her conduct.

I know the railings do not appear that high, but they are in fact mid chest high on most adults.  You really have to work at it to fall over any railings.  Usually happens if there is purposeful climbing, or horseplay, standing on tables and such. 

The railings are at least 4 feet tall.  if the parents were on the cruise at chaperones, and they were at sea, they would have to have been on the ship at that time. When the ships sail, all are onboard.

Connecticut Post Online (Bridgeport, Connecticut) 
June 8, 2009 Monday 
 
FBI sends letter to cruise passengers

Paul Haber was surprised to receive a letter from the FBI yesterday. So were Larry and Linda Bruck and other passengers who were aboard a Mediterranean cruise ship in July.

Some passengers said it was the first time in the nearly two months since George Smith IV of Greenwich disappeared off of the Brilliance of the Seas that investigators contacted them regarding Smith's disappearance, although other passengers have been interviewed by the FBI.

"I never got a letter from the FBI before," said Haber, a Pennsylvania resident. "I just thought they would have contacted me sooner."

The form letter, which was sent to all passengers and crew members aboard the cruise, features a photograph of a smiling Smith and asks that anyone with information regarding his disappearance contact the FBI.

Smith mysteriously disappeared July 5, about midway through a honeymoon cruise with his new wife, Jennifer Hagel of Cromwell. Both of their families have declined to comment.

"The records obtained indicate that you were either a passenger or crew member aboard this cruise," the letter said. "In an effort to conduct as thorough an investigation as possible, the FBI intends to identify and interview persons who may have information regarding Mr. Smith's disappearance."

The letter is dated July 29, but several passengers said that they only received it recently. Others said they have yet to receive it.

FBI spokeswoman Lisa Bull said she did not have information about when the letter was mailed, but confirmed that the letter was being sent to all passengers and crew members.

"It's a logical step to try to reach out to anyone who may have knowledge," said Bull, who would not comment further on the investigation. "It's simply being taken to leave no stone unturned."

Some passengers who received the letter said they were optimistic the FBI was getting closer to finding out what happened to Smith.

"I would love for them to find out what really happened," said Linda Bruck, who also lives in Pennsylvania.

Others said the letter appears to show that the FBI is seeking more clues in the case.

"When you read it, obviously they have been in touch with people who may have more to say on the case," Haber said. "At this point, I'm kind of guessing, that what they have, they have exhausted all of their sources of information."

In addition to passengers, three Royal Carribbean International employees have so far been interviewed by the FBI regarding Smith's disappearance, cruise officials confirmed yesterday.

Meanwhile, Smith is being honored in an Internet blog by former colleagues who worked with him in Massachusetts.

"I will always remember how fond he was of his family," Amanda Watlington wrote in her blog. "Several years ago, he went on a cruise with his parents and his sister. For many young adults, the thought of going on vacation with Ôthe family' is anathema. George looked forward to the trip, so it was no surprise to me that he was on a honeymoon cruise."

Reached this weekend, Watlington, a communications, sales and business strategy consultant, declined to comment, saying she wanted to respect the privacy of Smith's family.

Tom Douglas, 40, of Maryland, said he only discovered recently that the Smith he worked with is the same one who disappeared. Douglas said he was disturbed by media accounts of Smith and what he is said to have been doing during the hours before he disappeared. Passengers reported that Smith and his wife were seen heavily drinking, holding parties in their room and creating public disturbances.

"That's not George, it's not like George at all," Douglas said. "It's amazing how they got it wrong."

Douglas said he first met Smith in 2001. At the time, Smith worked with Watlington as part of an Internet research department. The three worked for a company that helped customers optimize their Web sites for Internet search engines.

"It was very very analytic stuff and he was very bright, very bright and extremely hard worker" Douglas said of Smith. "It's a very complex subject. He made it simple. He made it understandable."

Unlike the rowdy image that some passengers appear to paint of Smith the night he disappeared, Douglas described Smith as "reserved" and someone who was extremely bright.

"He had a formidable intellect," Douglas said. 
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:986483827&start=10

Man rescued in Florida after falling from cruise ship


Associated Press

Posted: 06/15/2009 01:23:34 PM PDT
Updated: 06/15/2009 01:23:40 PM PDT


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man found clinging to a buoy after falling from a cruise ship in coastal Florida has been rescued.

The Coast Guard says 46-year-old Larry Miller told them he went overboard from the Carnival Inspiration early this morning while it was returning to the Port of Tampa. He was found a few hours later clinging to a buoy near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in the St. Petersburg area.

He was brought to the hospital with minor injuries.

Carnival says the man told authorities he slipped after climbing on a railing to get a better view of the pilot boat. The ship was returning from a four-day cruise. The case remains under investigation.


http://**/ci_12594654?source=rss

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526631,00.html

Coast Guard Searches for Woman Reported Overboard on Cruise
Tuesday , June 16, 2009


MOBILE, Ala.  —

The Coast Guard sent out ships and aircraft to search the Gulf of Mexico for a woman who reportedly went overboard from a cruise ship early Tuesday.

A 50-year-old woman was reported overboard by the Carnival Holiday at 12:04 a.m. CDT Tuesday, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The ship was about 75 miles southwest of Pensacola, Fla., at the time.

Carnival Corp. said a passenger reported hearing a splash in the water about 11 p.m. CDT, prompting a cabin-by-cabin search aboard the Holiday. Crew members lowered lifeboats to look for the woman but found nothing.

The Coast Guard search included two cutters, two airplanes and a helicopter.

The Holiday, with a capacity of 1,452 passengers, is due back in Mobile on Saturday after a five-day trip to the Yucatan Peninsula.

The woman's disappearance marked the second time in less than a month that a passenger went overboard from a Carnival ship based in the Gulf.

A Louisiana teenager on a high school graduation cruise aboard the Carnival Fantasy out of New Orleans went over the rails on May 24 about 150 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla. Authorities suspended a search after two days without locating his body.

no cruise ship for me thank you very much!

Times-Picayune (New Orleans) 
June 21, 2009 Sunday 
 
Former Marrero resident missing;
Cruise disappearance suspicious, spouse says
 
A cruise ship returned to Mobile, Ala., one passenger short on Saturday after a woman who formerly lived in Marrero disappeared in an incident her husband calls suspicious.

Michelle Vilborg, of Bay Minette, Ala., was on a five-day cruise to the Yucatan peninsula aboard the Carnival Holiday to celebrate her 50th birthday and upcoming 30th wedding anniversary with her husband.

She was found to be missing Monday evening during a cabin-by-cabin search begun after a crew member reported hearing a splash 75 miles southwest of Pensacola, Fla., according to a statement by Carnival Cruise Lines. The Coast Guard launched a search at about 11 p.m., sending out two ships, a jet, a helicopter and a rescue plane. After looking for Vilborg for 70 hours and covering more than 3,600 square miles, the searchers suspended their hunt Wednesday.

The Vilborgs had been on the cruise ship for about eight hours before Michelle Vilborg disappeared, according to her husband, Sven.

The couple had a buffet dinner, at which Michelle had a martini, before they headed back to their cabin to get ready for bed, Sven Vilborg said. The last time he saw his wife, he said, she was in the bathroom removing her makeup.

He said he then dozed off and about 45 minutes later was awakened by someone banging on his door. Later, he was told his wife was missing and that someone had seen her four decks above their cabin. He said he suspects foul play.

"She didn't even know her way around the ship," Vilborg said. "I don't know how it happened in such a short amount of time." When he requested copies of surveillance tapes, he was told the ship did not have any, he said. Calls he made to the investigating FBI agent, who said interviews would be conducted with passengers Saturday, were not returned.

"I just have a feeling that something is not on the up and up," Vilborg said. "I'm not believing half the things they're telling me. It wasn't like she was strolling around, because she was going to bed."

A spokeswoman for Carnival said she could not comment, and a spokesperson for the Mobile office of the FBI could not be reached Saturday.

Vilborg grew up in Chalmette and met her husband at a pool party in Algiers. She could not pronounce his name, he said, so she called him Swede because he's from Sweden. The couple moved to Lee Street in Marrero in 1981. Vilborg, then 21, quickly became a friend of Toni Cooper, a woman about her age two houses away. Vilborg, who had three children, and Cooper, who had six, would sunbathe in their yards, play cards or play with the children in the kiddie pool.

"We had a blast," said Cooper. The two lost touch after the Vilborgs moved to Alabama 12 years ago. They reconnected after one of the Vilborgs' daughters died at age 20 in a car accident in September 2002 and one of Cooper's sons, 18, committed suicide two months later.

Cooper and Vilborg began talking again, writing letters and sending pictures. Vilborg started a nonprofit organization to help people overcome grief.

"She was a very, very wonderful woman," Cooper said. "She was loving and kind."

Whatever happened aboard the ship, Cooper and Sven Vilborg agreed that Michelle Vilborg did not commit suicide.

"It's beyond me," said Vilborg, adding the couple were looking forward to the birth of more grandchildren. "She had everything to live for. No matter what faults she had in her life, she was just full of life."
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:993174047&start=9

Body found in search for ship passenger
NO POSITIVE I.D.: Woman washes up on a Southeastern island along route of vessel that reported missing traveler.
Last Modified: August 3rd, 2009 10:43 PM

The body of a woman was discovered during a search for a passenger presumed to have gone overboard from a Holland America cruise ship sometime after midnight Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The passenger, Washington resident Amber Malkuch, 45, disappeared from the Zaandam on its route between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska State Troopers said. A search of the vessel turned up no sign of her.

The Coast Guard, joined by civilian vessels and aircraft, launched a massive search of the 80-mile stretch of glacial-fed water with a temperature of about 57 degrees between Juneau and the park.

About 4:30 p.m. Monday, a helicopter found a body washed up on the west side of Douglas Island, the Coast Guard said. The tide had apparently carried the body to shore and left it high on the beach as it receded.

The body was taken to Juneau to be positively identified, troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.

"The search is continuing," Coast Guard Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios said. "We do not know for sure if that's the body; however it is a female and she was found within the search area."

The last known sighting of Malkuch was when she ordered room service about 12:30 a.m., as the ship was near Douglas Island. She was reported missing by her roommate and travelling companion about 9 a.m., after the ship was already in the park, Ipsen said.

How she might have fallen overboard was not known and was to become the subject of an investigation. Also unclear was why the roommate did not report the woman missing until about 9 a.m.

"It's all still a really big mystery right now," Rios said. "We really don't know what happened. The Alaska State Troopers and the Coast Guard are conducting an investigation."

The Zaandam, which can carry 1,432 passengers, sailed from Seattle on Friday bound for Alaska on a seven-day cruise. It departed Juneau headed for Glacier Bay on Sunday and was continuing its scheduled voyage after Malkuch's disappearance, according to Holland America.

"At this point, we haven't even really had very good contact with the boat," Ipsen said. "Troopers are going to respond to Sitka, that's where the ship is docking (today), to do their investigation, talk to the travelling companion to find out what happened."

After getting the report the woman was missing, the crew searched the 780-foot vessel but turned up no sign of her, Holland America said in a statement. The company offered no further details on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.

According to the Coast Guard, there were no obvious signs of foul play, nor did it appear any of the vessel's survival gear was missing.

Investigators would likely be examining security footage as part of their effort to figure out how the woman fell overboard, Rios said. The area between the mountain ranges can get fairly windy, although Rios said he wasn't aware of severe conditions in the area overnight.

After getting the report of a missing person about 10 a.m., the Coast Guard launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka, diverted patrol boats Long Island and Liberty to the scene and dispatched two rescue boats from Juneau.

The Civil Air Patrol helped with two airplanes and the park service launched a number of boats to scan the shoreline in the area of Stephens Passage, Lynn Canal and Icy Strait, according to the Coast Guard.

A TEMSCO Helicopters aircraft, which Holland America had contracted to aid in the search, found the body late in the afternoon and delivered it to the Coast Guard, Rios said. An official with the Wrangell-based aviation company declined to comment Monday evening.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/southeast/story/886393.html

Cruise Passenger Goes Overboard in Apparent Suicide
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
The body of a woman found in frigid Alaska waters is likely that of a 45-year-old cruise ship passenger who vanished during the trip and is believed to have fallen overboard in an apparent suicide.

Authorities wouldn't immediately identify the woman discovered dead, but it is thought to be passenger Amber Malkuch of Washington state — who was last seen ordering room service just after midnight aboard Holland America's ship the Zaandam.

A spokeswoman for Holland America Line says the incident appears to be a suicide.

Malkuch was reported missing by a friend sharing her cabin on Monday morning when the ship was in Glacier Bay National Park. It embarked on the seven-day cruise from Seattle on Friday.

There was no apparent sign of foul play, authorities said. They launched a massive search for Malkuch after she disappeared.

Malkuch was last seen hours before her cabinmate reported the disappearance about 9 a.m., when she ordered room service overnight while the ship was near Douglas Island, according to a statement issued by Holland America.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr said it was unclear why her friend didn't alert authorities earlier, and a spokeswoman for the cruise line didn't return calls seeking further comment.

Many of the circumstances surrounding the woman's disappearance are still a mystery, Warr said.

The crew of a commercial helicopter operated by Ketchikan-based TEMSCO Helicopters that was helping in the search found the body at about 4:30 p.m. on the west side of Douglas Island — about 12 miles northwest of where the passenger was last seen, according to Warr.

Warr said there was no indication that any of the Zaandam's survival gear was missing.

Alaska State Troopers were joining the investigation, and footage from the ship's security cameras will likely be reviewed, Warr said.

The search focused on a vast region surrounding Douglas Island and the national park, which are 80 miles apart, Warr said. The glacier-fed waters in the area are 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

"This is a huge, huge area," Warr said.

Also taking part in Monday's search were a Coast Guard helicopter, two cutters, two rescue boats, two Glacier Bay vessels and two civil air patrol pilots.

An extensive search also was conducted on the 780-foot Zaandam. The ship has a capacity for about 1,430 passengers and 600 crew members.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536441,00.html?mrp

Last updated September 23, 2009 5:36 p.m. PT

Search under way for missing cruise ship passenger
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A search has been launched in the waters of Southeast Alaska and Canada for a 67-year-old woman reported missing from a cruise ship.

The passenger, who hasn't been identified, was noticed missing when she didn't leave the Sapphire Princess at the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday morning.

The Princess Cruise liner departed Ketchikan on Monday on an Inside Passage cruise. She was not located during a search of the ship, and her personal belongings were in her state room.

The U.S. Coast Guard has sent a helicopter and boats to search from Ketchikan 86 miles south to include Dixon Entrance, Tongass Narrows and the northern end of Hecate Strait.

Canadian officials are searching from Vancouver 517 miles north to Hecate Strait.

In August, the body of a passenger aboard the Zaandam, Amber Malkuch, 45, was found off Douglas Island in Southeast Alaska. The Arlington, Wash., resident had been reported missing earlier in the day.

Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters on Wednesday said the cause of death was drowning. However, she said the agency may never come to a determination if the death was accidental or a suicide, as the cruise ship company said at the time.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_ak_missing_passenger.html?source=mypi

Italian chef missing at sea on Caribbean cruise         

 43 mins ago
ROME – Italy's foreign ministry says a chef from the country is missing from a U.S.-flagged cruise ship and the FBI is investigating.

Angelo Faliva was last seen in the kitchen of the Princess Cruises "Coral Princess" at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday while he was working his dinner shift.

Faliva's sister, Chiara Faliva, said Sunday the family was alerted Thursday that he had been reported missing and that a life preserver was also missing, with its nighttime illumination flares torn off and left aboard the ship.

The "Coral Princess" left Miami on Nov. 23, and was sailing between Aruba and Cartagena, Colombia when Faliva went missing. The ship is due to dock in Los Angeles on Dec. 7. Colombian maritime authorities are also investigating.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_missing_chef_1
[/quote]

I had always sworn off taking a cruise  but found that I have been talked into going on one in a few months...I am excited but nervous at the same time...I will be staying away from the balconies etc....

Cookie, You will have a wonderful time, and it is virtually impossible to fall off a cruise ship, unless you are trying to do so.  Just be excited, there is nothing to be nervous about..promise. (PS--I always book a balcony!  I love that ocean air and sleeping to the sound of the sea!)

[/quote]
Now they are saying that he was seen at 8:30 on Thanksgiving morning.  He had a conversation with another crew member. 

thank you! I am looking really forward to it...we do have a balcony room...I haven't spoken to anyone who did not love their cruise...I am excited...

Hey Monkies,
I found an informative web site for reports of crimes, etc on cruise ships
http://www.cruisebruise.com/Overboard/Michelle_Vilborg.html

Yikes!

Cruise line: FBI in LA probes missing cruise chef

Last Update: 12/07 11:31 am 



LOS ANGELES (AP) — A cruise line says the FBI is investigating the disappearance of an Italian chef who may have gone overboard from an American cruise ship.

The probe was initiated Monday morning after the Princess Cruises' Coral Princess docked at the Port of Los Angeles.

Cruise spokeswoman Julie Benson says Angelo Faliva was last seen on a deck Nov. 26 as the ship sailed from Aruba to Colombia. Benson says a search of the ship and a review of security cameras came up empty. Princess Cruises says a life preserver was also missing but is unsure if it relates to Faliva.

The 31-year-old's family said they were told he unexpectedly left the galley while working the dinner shift and never returned. The ship left South Florida on Nov. 23.

An FBI spokeswoman could not confirm details of the investigation.
 
http://www.cbs47.tv/news/state/story/Cruise-line-FBI-in-LA-probes-missing-cruise-chef/D6j2TAY14kCPLEMjTX26tg.cspx?rss=154

http://www.sphere.com/world/article/cruise-ship-passenger-neha-chhikara-jumped-overboard/19300072?icid=main

World

Cruise Ship Passenger Jumps Overboard in Bahamas

Updated: 1 hour 43 minutes ago

AP Staff
 

AP MIAMI (Jan. 1) -- The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a cruise ship passenger who government officials say jumped overboard in the Bahamas.

The Coast Guard says crew members aboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas reported Neha Chhikara missing Thursday afternoon as the ship was headed from Nassau to CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez says the guest was reported missing by her husband. Security camera footage showed the 23-year-old woman going overboard from the 11th deck early that morning.

Martinez said Friday that Bahamian government officials reviewed the footage and determined that the woman jumped overboard.

The ship left Port Canaveral, Fla., on Monday for a five-day cruise through the Bahamas. It's due to return Saturday.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Neha-Chhikara/100000159864414

Not sure if this is her or not.  Looks about the right age IMO.

(http://www.facebook.com/profile/pic.php?oid=AAAAAQAQQrLY_DABW4ApbBvfpCXpHwAAAA8xa0HFmw2ncCOkuOsPmT2C&size=normal)

Earlier article:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20091231/BREAKINGNEWS/91231029

Passenger goes overboard from Port Canaveral ship

BY KAUSTUV BASU • FLORIDA TODAY • DECEMBER 31, 2009

The Coast Guard is searching for a missing cruise ship passenger tonight who reportedly jumped overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas, a ship home-ported in Port Canaveral, officials said.

The 23-year-old woman, who is not being identified, went overboard from the 11th deck of the ship near Nassau, Bahamas, about 4 a.m. today, the coast guard said.

The Monarch of the Seas, which can accommodate 2,744 guests, left Port Canaveral on Tuesday for the Bahamas and was scheduled to be back Saturday.

“The guest was last seen at 3:45 a.m. At that time, the ship was sailing from Nassau to CocoCay, Bahamas. As soon as the guest was reported missing, various public announcements were made onboard and a complete search of the ship, as well of CocoCay, was initiated,” according to a statement released by Royal Caribbean.

“Shipboard closed-circuit camera footage captured the guest going overboard on deck 11, portside at approximately 4:11 a.m. Government officials have reviewed the footage and determined that the guest jumped overboard.”

The passenger was reported missing by her husband at 12:15 p.m., according to Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean.

“We have teams searching by sea and air,” said coast guard petty officer Nick Ameen. “We will search through the night and tomorrow. We are constantly reassessing our search.”

A helicopter, a jet and a cutter were being used in the search, which began about 2 p.m. today.

Contact Basu at 242-3724 or kbasu@floridatoday.com.

 ::MonkeyShocked::  The plot thickens....?

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3614

December 31, 2009

Wife of Crewmember Missing from Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

(10:33 p.m. EST) -- A woman onboard Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas was reported missing at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday. Shipboard surveillance video later showed the passenger jumping overboard at 4:11 a.m. The Coast Guard is leading a search, but the woman has not yet been found.

The missing passenger, identified as 23-year-old Neha Chhikara in a Coast Guard report, was not only a guest onboard but the wife of a crewmember, according to Royal Caribbean's statement. She was last seen at 3:45 a.m. when the ship was sailing from Nassau to CocoCay. Once she was reported missing the following afternoon, both the ship and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island, were thoroughly searched. Ship authorities notified the Bahamian government and the U.S. Coast Guard, which launched a search using a Falcon jet, Jayhawk helicopter and the Coast Guard Cutter Cormorant.

Video footage later revealed that the woman had jumped from Deck 11, port side. Royal Caribbean's Guest Care Team is providing support to her husband.

Monarch of the Seas was on a five-night Bahamas cruise, sailing from Port Canaveral. The ship is scheduled to return on January 2.

--by Erica Silverstein, Senior Editor

The Gurgaon police registered an FIR for dowry harassment in the Neha Chhikara’s alleged suicide case on Sunday at the Sector 17/18 police station.



Neha’s family members, who had earlier filed a complaint of Neha being harassed for dowry by her in-laws, said the FIR was registered after much “persuasion”.



The family has accused Neha’s husband Ankit Dalal, father-in-law Dr S S Dalal (also the chief medical officer at the Gurgaon Civil Hospital), mother-in-law Nirmal Dalal and her sister-in-law for harassing Neha for dowry, soon after marriage.



Neha has been missing since December 31 from the Royal Caribbean Cruise, where she had recently taken up a job. Ankit works as a manager on the same ship and has been employed there for almost seven years now. The two were married in August 2008. Neha’s in-laws used to beat her and demanded money since then, alleged Neha’s father Suresh Chhikara.



“We have filed the FIR under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 406 (criminal misappropriation of property entrusted to someone) and 498 (dowry harassment) of the IPC,” Gurgaon police commissioner S S Deswal said.



“We have not arrested anyone as yet and are still investigating the case. As far as death is concerned, it needs to be certified by the police there (Bahamas, where Neha went missing).”



When quizzed on the possibility that the accused may try to “escape”, Deswal said: “S S Dalal holds a responsible position in a government (department); he can not ‘run away’.”

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Neha-Chhikara-case--Parents-file-FIR-for-dowry-harassment/562926

The Gurgaon police chief also said the US police have sealed Neha’s room and are collecting necessary evidence for the case.

Do not worry Our F.B.I. is on it... It will NEVER be solved now. ::MonkeyBike::


But yes The Plot is so think I can't walk through it now..

former air hostess Neha Chhikara

Her facebook page..

Her image ?

(http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/v22943/1431/7/n100000159864414_1790.jpg)

What a happy couple.. Did he throw her off de boat ??  12:P.M. in the middle of the day ??

maybe she did commit suicide if her inlaws were making her life so miserable...they should be ashamed of themselves and her husband as well for not protecting her more against them and their beatings..imo....

Reader comment to above linked article..

 By: Mohini | 05-Jan-2010  Reply | Forward
Wife Beating in today's day and age
 I know the family well and Neha had reported her husband beating her several times to her brother and parents. I dont agree that 498 A is misused in India. I know of cases where independent girls living in the US and India, are victims of in-laws misbehavior. Until our culture opens up to the reality that women are also independent beings and not to be controlled mentally or physically these kinds of cases continue to happen. The fact that she committed suicide is proof enough of the kind of mental torture and depression she must have been in. Else why was she not with her husband on New Years Eve?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Nehas-in-laws-still-not-arrested-kin-cry-foul/articleshow/5431807.cms
Neha’s in-laws still not arrested, kin cry foul
Sumi Sukanya, TNN, 11 January 2010, 05:01am IST
Topics:

    * bahamas
    * Neha Chhikara

GURGAON: A week after the in-laws and husband of former air-hostess Neha Chhikara — who died in the Bahamas — were booked on charges of harassing
her for dowry, police are yet to arrest any of the accused in the case. Gurgaon police, however, defended themselves saying the case was handed over to the state’s Intelligence Bureau. On Friday, Neha’s family had demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.
Neha died in mysterious circumstances in a cruise ship on way to the US from the Bahamas on January 1. Later when the ship’s CCTV camera footage were examined, she was seen jumping into the ocean from the deck of the ship, in which her husband works as a manager.

The move to transfer the case to the intelligence bureau was taken after local police were found struggling to gather facts of the case even after seven days of the incident, said sources. “Since the victim died in the Bahamas, we have to follow international laws to investigate the case. We need a factual report to find out what had exactly happened in the Bahamas. The report, which only the American authorities can provide, will be an important piece of evidence. We have asked the ministry of external affairs to take the matter forward,” said S S Deswal, police commissioner.

Neha’s father S K Chhikara, who works with a shipping corporation, had lodged a complaint with Gurgaon police alleging dowry harassment by her husband Ankit Dalal and her in-laws, including father-in-law S S Dalal, who is the chief medical officer of Gurgaon. Chhikara claimed that he gave the Dalals Rs 25 lakh as dowry at the time of Neha’s marriage in October 2008 in addition to over Rs 45 lakh he spent for the wedding. He alleged that the Dalals never treated his daughter well and that she was subjected to mental and physical torture.

Neha’s family has alleged that police were trying to shield all the accused in the case. “First, police resisted when we approached them to file a complaint against the Dalals. Now, seven days after they registered an FIR, they have not taken any initiative to arrest the accused. We have not heard anything from either the police or Ankit’s family about the status of the case in US,” said Anuj Chhikara, Neha’s brother.
On being asked why police had not booked Neha’s in-laws under dowry death, cops said that the fact that Neha died abroad made the case complicated. “If we lodge a case under Section 304 B(dowry death), we cannot investigate the case here as she had not died here. Till now, we do not know anything about the circumstances in which Neha died,” said Deswal.

Neha had gone to the US on December 15 and got a job offer on the same cruise liner where her husband worked. Police said that a few hours before she committed suicide, Neha had sent an email to her brother Anuj saying Ankit had beaten her up and that she did not want to live anymore.

Reacting to the Dalals’ allegation of defamation, Neha’ father said that he was not out to defame them. “Neha’s last email to her brother chronicling the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ankit and his family is proof that she was driven to take the extreme step by them,” Chhikara said.

sumi.sukanya@timesgroup.com

alleging dowry harassment by her husband Ankit Dalal and her in-laws

I did notice that HE did not jump overboard to save her..

He is guilty of something..

Take him out to international waters and make him walk the plank..  ::MonkeyMad::

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Chhikara-committed-suicide--US-report/596822
Chhikara committed suicide: US report

Express News Service Tags : crime, suicide Posted: Monday , Mar 29, 2010 at 0201 hrs Gurgaon:
Three months after air-hostess Neha Chhikara went missing from Miami’s Royal Caribbean Cruiseship — Monarch of the Seas — in the Bahamas, the US authorities and the Bahamas government said that she committed suicide by jumping off the twelfth deck of the cruise liner.

A joint report was sent on March 25 to the Haryana state Vigilance Department and a copy has been e-mailed to Neha’s father Suresh Chhikara.

Neha (23) was travelling on the luxury liner as a staff along with her husband Ankit Dalal, son of former Gurgaon chief medical officer, S S Dalal. On December 31, 2009, hours before taking the extreme step, she had e-mailed her brother alleging torture by her husband and in-laws. The Gurgaon police had registered an FIR for dowry on January 3.

According to Neha’s father, the joint report has taken into account Neha’s dairy entries, statements by eyewitnesses and CCTV footage. “Neha left the room around 3.45 am (IST) and called Ankit on his mobile but he did not answer. She then went to the twelfth deck— as per the CCTV footage, she stood with her back to the sea and jumped off. Another CCTV recording showed her falling into the sea,” said Chhikara.
We received the reports a couple of days ago,” said V B Singh, Director General, state Vigilance. “This is the first official intimation which states she committed suicide.”

Trial delayed in cruise ship disappearance case
April 11, 2010

Continuing settlement talks have delayed a trial over the estate of a Greenwich man who vanished on his 2005 honeymoon cruise, according to lawyers involved in the case.

The trial, which stems from an appeal of a probate court decision surrounding the late George Smith IV, was slated to happen Monday. A last- minute motion to continue the matter has postponed the trial indefinitely.

A lawsuit filed in 2008 by Smith's parents, George Smith III and Maureen Smith, contests a Greenwich probate court approval of a $1.1 million settlement their former daughter-in-law, Jennifer Hagel Smith, reached with Royal Caribbean International.

Smith, who planned on taking over his father's Cos Cob Liquor Store, disappeared July 5, 2005, into the Aegean Sea while on a cruise of the Mediterranean. His body was never found.

The Smiths have argued that Hagel Smith's judgment was clouded when she accepted the settlement, which they believed falls short of the Smith's earning capacity. The lawsuit stated Smith's earning capacity was at least $2.4 million. They are seeking to usurp Hagel Smith's authority over their late son's estate.

Attorney Michael Jones, who represents Smith's family, and Hagel Smith's attorney, Richard Sheeley, both said the decision to postpone was mutual.

The 2008 lawsuit specifically said that when Hagel Smith agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit with the cruise ship operator rather than pursue the case to trial, she wanted to avoid the disclosure of embarrassing information about her the night Smith disappeared.

The cruise line has said that at about the time the ship went missing, guests heard a loud thump, believed to be the sound of Smith's body hitting an exterior ship awning, Hagel Smith was found asleep in a corridor on the other side of the ship. The couple had been spotted partying and drinking that night. The FBI has been investigating Smith's disappearance and the case remains open.

In June 2009, thousands of pages of deposition testimony from a 2008 probate battle was unsealed detailing opinions from lawyers and authorities about the likelihood that foul play was involved. The documents revealed little new information about the unsolved mystery.

One month after the Smith's filed their lawsuit in state Superior Court, Hagel Smith's lawyer wrote in court documents that the family refused to acknowledge the possibility that Smith's alleged use of alcohol and prescription drugs may have been a factor in an accidental death. Jones has said there is no evidence Smith was using prescription drugs or alcohol.

In August 2009, both sides opted to go to trial after failing to come to an agreement. At that time, Hagel Smith's father expressed frustration that the parties could not settle out of court. At the same time, Hagel Smith's family announced that their daughter planned to marry financial analyst Jeff Agne.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Trial-delayed-in-cruise-ship-disappearance-case-443883.php

Neha Chhikara ... was hounded by her husband and others for money.. A dowry !! in 2010
She was put into a position of servitude to be married to her husband and she most likely felt her life was slavery.
She committed suicide to escape slavery.
jmho

FBI investigating disappearance of crew member from Royal Caribbean cruise out of Bayonne
By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal
May 10, 2010, 4:07PM
David Jolkovski/The Jersey Journal
(http://media.nj.com/bayonne_impact/photo/missing-crew-member-royal-caribbean-cruise-bayonnejpg-b881828f8129110e_large.jpg)
The Explorer of the Seas docked in Bayonne on Saturday after one of its crew members, a 26-year-old man, disappeared off the coast of Puerto Rico.
The FBI is investigating the disappearance of a 26-year-old crew member from a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Bayonne, officials said.

Law enforcement officials were waiting at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port
when the Explorer of the Seas
cruise ship docked at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Deputy Bayonne Police Chief Ralph
Sciani told The Jersey Journal.

The man, who is presumed dead, disappeared Wednesday evening from the ship off the coast of Puerto Rico,  police said. He is a citizen of the African country Mauritius.

The man is believed to have gone overboard and the ship as well as the U.S. Coast Guard searched unsuccessfully for him, officials said. The Coast Guard searched for eight hours as the ship sailed toward its home port in Bayonne from the port of San Juan in Puerto Rico, Sciani said.

The FBI became the lead agency because the man fell overboard outside of boundaries of the continental USA, Sciani said.

Because it was unknown if the man's next of kin had been notified, Sciani declined to release the victim's name.

Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said crews had searched for the man 138 miles north of the coastal town of Isabela in Puerto Rico.

According to the blog CruiseCritic.com, "closed-circuit camera footage revealed that the employee was on Deck 5, and 'climbed over the railing and lowered himself over the side of the ship."

The ship was nearing the end of a nine-night Bermuda and Caribbean cruise that departed from the Bayonne on April 29.

The ship has a passenger capacity of 3,114

On Saturday, it had been incorrectly reported on Bayonne Now that the crew member's body had been recovered.

http://www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2010/05/fbi_investigating_disappearanc.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iVQgKJ72svaGLNS3cDJkxpiAd7ugD9I7TODG0
Conn. family hopes to solve cruise disappearance
September 14, 2010
By PAT EATON-ROBB (AP) – 5 hours ago

HARTFORD, Conn. — The parents of a Connecticut man who disappeared from his honeymoon cruise in 2005 say an amended settlement with the cruise line could help solve the mystery of what happened to him.

George Smith IV, of Greenwich, was aboard a Royal Caribbean ship when he vanished somewhere between Greece and Turkey on July 5, 2005, after an apparent night of drinking. His body was never found.

Smith's widow, Jennifer Hagel Smith, reached a nearly $1.1 million settlement with Royal Caribbean in 2006. But his parents and sister filed a lawsuit challenging it as inadequate, alleging it was reached in part to avoid embarrassing disclosures about Hagel Smith's conduct during the cruise.

The family, in a statement Tuesday, said the amended $1.3 million settlement requires the cruise line to turn over witness statements and other information from the company's own investigation that would have remained confidential under the original deal.

"Most people involved probably other than Jennifer Hagel Smith believe pretty strongly that George was murdered," said Michael Jones, an attorney representing Smith's parents and sister. "If that's the case then hopefully this documentation gives us a better indication of exactly what happened to him."

Smith's parents' share of the settlement with the cruise line will increase under the new deal from about $50,000 to about $300,000, Jones said. He said that will not fully cover the amount they have spent investigating their son's disappearance.

"Our goal from the beginning of this litigation was to find out what happened to George and bring his perpetrator(s) to justice," his mother, Maureen Smith, said in a statement.

Hagel Smith's attorney, Richard Sheeley, said that also is her goal, and she would welcome any new information.

"The truth is, after all this time, we have no more answers than we had at the beginning of this process," he said. "Candidly, we don't expect there is going to be a heck of a lot in there."

Hagel Smith has said her husband's relatives refuse to acknowledge the possibility that George Smith's intoxication from alcohol and prescription drugs may have been a factor in an accidental death. She has said they instead believe Smith was a victim of foul play, despite a lack of evidence.

Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said the cruise line agreed to the settlement in the hope that it will be part of a healing process for the Smith family.

"We are confident that the disclosure of any additional information will again demonstrate that we acted properly in assisting Jennifer and the Smith family in the aftermath of their tragic loss," she said in a statement.

Jones said the information from Royal Caribbean includes thousands of documents and boxes of videos from security cameras and interviews. He said the FBI recently reaffirmed that its criminal investigation is still open and active, and the family will provide the criminal investigators with a copy of everything.

"We're hoping there might be additional information they don't already have, but we won't know that until we go through it and the FBI goes through it," the attorney said.

New Details in Death of of George A. Smith IV Who Died on Honeymoon Mediterranean Royal Caribbean Cruise … FBI Russian Organized Crime Agents Join Investigation … Could it lead to Justice for George?

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2012/01/07/new-details-in-death-of-of-george-a-smith-iv-who-died-on-honeymoon-mediterranean-royal-caribbean-cruise-fbi-russian-organized-crime-agents-join-investigation-could-it-lead-to-justice-for-geor/


 ::snipping2::

Dateline NBC Profiles the Case of the Disappearance of Honeymooner George Smith Aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruiseship Brilliance of the Seas in 2005 (VIDEO) … JUSTICE FOR GEORGE

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2012/01/15/dateline-nbc-profiles-the-case-of-the-disappearance-of-honeymooner-george-smith-aboard-a-royal-caribbean-cruiseship-brilliance-of-the-seas-in-2005-video-justice-for-george/

answers as to what happened to George Smith, the controversial and confrontational settlement between Royal Caribbean, Jennifer Hagel Smith and the Smith family may have been the smoking gun. Part of the settlement was the handing over of their files, a treasure trove of data and information.[/quote]

 ::snipping2::

thanks Red...

Thank you for bringing the update about this case, Red.  For a while, it seemed someone was going to get away with murder.   I hope there will be justice for George Smith and his family. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-201205290000--tms--traveltrctntt-b20120529-20120529,0,1703431.story
How safe is a cruise? Even after new law, it's hard to say
By Christopher Elliott, Tribune Media Services The Travel Troubleshooter
May 29, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The Concordia struck a reef off the coast of Italy in January and partially sank, claiming the lives of 32 people. Carnival will refloat the hull in a $300 million salvage operation said to be the largest in history.

Coincidentally, it's been almost two years since the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, a law that promised to make cruising safer by requiring cruise lines to install peepholes in cabin doors, improve the handling of crime evidence and report crimes to the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI.

Given that travelers are thinking about security on cruise ships and that the summer vacation season is just around the corner, there's no better time to ask whether the rules are working as intended. But that's a hard question to answer.
The law couldn't have prevented the sinking of the Concordia, for example. That was allegedly caused when its captain, Francesco Schettino, foolishly steered his vessel away from its programmed route to do a maneuver known as a sail-by salute. And common sense can't be legislated, as they say.

But what about some of the other provisions? David Peikin, a spokesman for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade group that represents the major cruise lines, wouldn't comment on whether the law is working but insisted that cruising is safe and that passenger safety remains the industry's "number one" priority.

Peikin pointed to several independent studies that showed even before the law went into effect that the cruise experience was exceedingly safe and said that cruise lines are reporting crimes to the government as required.

I wondered what others thought, so I revisited some of my sources from a 2010 column on the act. Interestingly, that story also featured a quote from a CLIA spokesman about safety being a No. 1 priority.

Kendall Carver, chairman of the International Cruise Victims Association, Inc., a passenger advocacy group, doesn't think that the law has helped passengers. "It's a travesty," he said.

In just the past month, several stories have raised serious concerns about cruise ship safety.
 ::snipping2::
Also, five men in St. Kitts went on trial for robbing 17 cruise passengers on a shore excursion in 2010. The suspects are accused of taking money, phones and jewelry from the passengers in a crime that the St. Kitts and Nevis ******* called "the most infamous crime in St. Kitts in recent time."
Are any of these incidents being reported to the FBI and the Coast Guard? Not exactly.

Some of these alleged crimes didn't take place on cruise ships, so they're excluded. Others happened before the current reporting requirements went into effect. Peikin says that these incidents, as well as the Costa disaster, have nothing to do with the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. "There is no connection between the two," he says.

Fair point. But a look at the cruise ship crime statistics that are reported (if you can find them on the Coast Guard website) raises other concerns. In the Coast Guard's latest report, which covers Jan. 1 through March 31, cruise lines disclosed just three incidents involving missing persons and alleged crimes. In the previous quarter, they also reported only three, and in the one before that, zero. In all, cruise lines have reported only 19 crimes to the government since 2011 -- a number that to some seems improbably low.

One who thinks it's too low is James Walker, a maritime lawyer based in Miami. "These numbers are even less than the number of crimes the cruise lines will admit occurred," he says.

Back in 2006, Royal Caribbean told Congress that in the previous three years, 66 rapes and sexual assaults had reportedly occurred, he says. But in a civil case that Walker's firm handled, a court ordered the cruise line to produce its raw crime data, which showed that the total number of reported sex-related crimes was actually around 273 -- a number that included allegations of sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual harassment and inappropriate touching.

The International Cruise Victims Association's Carver is also skeptical of the crime statistics. He alleges that the actual number of crimes is hundreds of times higher. "That's the most disappointing part of the new law," he says. "The statistical database is largely incomplete."

The problem is a clever loophole in the law, which stipulates that the FBI doesn't have to include open files in crime statistics. As long as a case isn't closed, it doesn't get reported. "Many travel agents are now marketing cruises by referring their clients to the Coast Guard database for the proposition that there are virtually no crimes at all on cruise ships," Walker adds. "It makes a mockery of the law."
 ::snipping2::
With only a few lonely voices such as Carver and Walker, who advocate primarily for victims, cruise passengers have no organized lobbying presence in Washington to raise their concerns.

CLIA spent nearly $2 million lobbying Congress last year, slightly less than what it spent in 2010, which was a record. But that doesn't include individual lobbying by large cruise lines such as Carnival ($710,000 in 2011) and Royal Caribbean ($1.1 million).

And so we're in the same place we were in before the passage of the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act: with no idea how safe a floating vacation actually is. The cruise industry insists that it's more secure than any land vacation. Critics say that it's one of the riskier trips you can take.

The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151354/George-Smith-FBI-close-catching-allegedly-threw-groom-overboard-honeymoon-cruise.html?ICO=most_read_module

Breakthrough in cold case: FBI probe 'incriminating video' of guests on cruise ship where groom fell overboard to his death on honeymoon seven years ago

    Body of George Smith, 26, has never been found after he went missing on Royal Caribbean ship in Aegean Sea in July 2005
    FBI has tape made by passengers during Mediterranean cruise 
    Mr Smith and new wife 'had been drinking heavily with other guests on night he disappeared'

The FBI is apparently closer to answering how a groom fell overboard on his honeymoon cruise seven years ago after discovering new footage from on board the ship.

George Smith, 26, vanished from the Royal Caribbean ship, Brilliance of the Seas, in the middle of the night on July 5, 2005. He had been partying into the early hours with his 25-year-old wife Jennifer Hagel-Smith and new friends.

The investigation into the death of Mr Smith, from Connecticut, has remained open and authorities have an incriminating video tape in their possession which may lead to an arrest.

According to Cristin Marandino from Greenwich Magazine: 'On that videotape there are certain individuals that make very self-incriminating statements following the death of George Smith.

'This is a videotape that the gentlemen made of themselves. And in their room, sort of passing around a flip phone.'

 ::snipping2:: ::snipping2::

Thank you for posting the article Sharon.  Although it's been almost seven years since George Smith vanished, it's still not too late for answers and maybe some justice. 

"Cruise Widow" Jennifer Hagel Smith to Remarry

http://www.cruisewatch.net/articles/view/7698-andquotcruise-widowandquot-jennifer-hagel-smith-to-remarry.html


Woman Widowed on Honeymoon Cruise Dares to Love Again
August 6, 2009 11:48 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5211648-504083.html

I think she settled too quickly  Just Saying
I saw her a few my ago she looks different now  her hair is brown

Her new man better stay away from a honeymoon cruise, imo.

 ::rhino::

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/18433277/two-new-york-men-sue-cruise-company-after-week-in-brig-over-false-rape-claim
Two New York men sue cruise company after week in brig over false rape claim
May 16, 2012

NEW YORK -- Two friends who jetted from New York to Florida for a fun-filled cruise claim they were locked in the brig for a week after a fellow passenger falsely accused them of rape.

Eviatar Mor, 22, and buddy David Amsalem, 26, sued Royal Caribbean Cruises on Tuesday over their grueling getaway in a "small, windowless cell" on one of the company's luxury liners.

Their Manhattan federal court filing seeks at least $100 million in damages each on grounds including false arrest and imprisonment, assault and battery and "outrageous conduct causing emotional distress."
 ::snipping2::

The men, both Orthodox Jews from Israel, said they flew to Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 27 and boarded the Liberty of the Seas, with plans to visit Haiti and Jamaica.

But they claim that after climbing into their beds the first night, they were awakened at 5:00am local time by crew members who made them get dressed "in prison garments issued by Royal Caribbean."

Without explanation, the staffers paraded Mor and Amsalem "through public areas of the ship to a lockup facility," court papers state.

Several hours later, they were told they had been accused of raping an "unidentified woman," who later recanted her allegation and who was examined by a doctor who determined that she was not sexually assaulted.
 ::snipping2::
A Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said the men had been accused of "a serious crime" and that the company "takes all allegations of crime seriously."

Spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez added, "In this instance, our security personnel onboard followed our established procedures."

(not sure where to post this article - please move to appropriate location - thanks)


Edit to move and snip article and to add link.  I had to look, but I believe this is the one.  MB  http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-06-10/cruise-ship-crime-information-shielded/55485228/1


Law shields industry on cruise-ship crime information

Posted 14m ago | Updated 9h ago 6/10/12

PHOENIX — Ever since Kendall Carver's daughter mysteriously disappeared on an Alaskan cruise in 2004, he has dedicated his life to holding the cruise-line industry more accountable for passenger safety.

The retired Phoenix businessman believed he succeeded in 2010 with the passage of federal legislation that was supposed to reveal the full picture of the deaths, sexual assaults, thefts, missing persons and other crimes reported on cruise ships.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., who sponsored the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, promised the bill would provide greater transparency about crimes on passenger ships operating out of U.S. ports.

However, unknown to Carver and other supporters, the bill was changed shortly before it passed to provide less, not more, information about cruise-ship crime.

Kerry's own office was responsible for altering the bill without alerting other stakeholders about the changes. Kerry's press secretary acknowledged for the first time publicly last month that the bill was changed to hold back information about cases at the request of the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard.

The agencies "feared that reporting on pending cases could impact ongoing investigations and endanger lives and efforts to bring criminals to justice," press secretary Whitney Smith said.

Carver, who helped spearhead the legislation, said he feels betrayed.

"The bill is being sabotaged. The FBI is using the regulation to gut the intent of the bill," he said. "The FBI and the Coast Guard, the very people who should be looking out for United States citizens, have watered this thing down."

The new act requires cruise lines to report all serious crimes aboard ships to the FBI. Originally, it required the Coast Guard to maintain a public database of all serious crimes on cruise ships. Language added before its passage altered the bill so that only crimes "no longer under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation" were reported in the public database.

The upshot: The public is not allowed to see reports of all alleged crimes aboard ships. Where the FBI once publicly reported more than 400 crimes a year, only six crimes on ships in the past nine months have been listed on the public database. And cases not investigated by the FBI — for example, allegations handled by a ship's security staff — never will be reported in the database under the new law.

Now, Carver and other cruise-safety experts say the industry is using the lack of crime reports to suggest that ocean liners are safer than they have ever been.

 ::snipping2::

Somehow the cruise ship article duplicated in the copy process.  Will you edit the article as well? Thanks. Done. MB

Ship fall woman to be identified
 
(UKPA) – 5 hours ago 

Authorities are waiting to identify a body found by rescuers searching for a British woman who fell overboard from a cruise ship in the Atlantic.

The passenger was reported missing on the Aurora as it sailed from the Spanish city La Coruna to Barcelona, P&O Cruises said.

The ship's crew were alerted and ordered an immediate search for the woman, who has not yet been named.

Cruise ship Thomson Spirit, which was en route to Cadiz, was reported to have joined in the search off the coast of Portugal, north west of Lisbon.

It is understood that passengers were informed of the discovery of the body through an announcement from the ship's captain, Ian Hutley.

Formal identification is not expected to take place until early next week, a spokeswoman for P&O Cruises said.

Authorities and P&O Cruises' care team are now providing assistance for the missing woman's family, the cruise operator said.
 ::snipping2::  more
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h3RBYzxrtQT4MleYtwyMWhyujAQg?docId=N0486321348944039261A

42 Year Old Jason Gregory Rappe of Olympia, WA Missing Aboard the Holland America Cruise Ship Eurodam Traveling from St. Thomas to Bahamas

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2012/12/01/42-year-old-jason-gregory-rappe-of-olympia-wa-missing-aboard-the-holland-america-cruise-ship-eurodam-traveling-from-st-thomas-usvi-to-the-bahamas/

Looks like another passenger has gone overboard.

::snipping2::

Thanks Red!  Sad...   ::MonkeyNoNo::

Passenger Missing From HAL's Eurodam Cruise Ship - Why Do All HAL Overboard Cases Remain Mysteries?

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Jim Walker

Multiple news sources are reporting that a passenger has gone overboard in the Caribbean earlier this morning. The passenger, age 42, is from Washington and was traveling with his wife.

The passenger's wife reportedly discovered her husband missing from the Holland America Line (HAL) cruise ship Eurodam.  The U.S. Coast Guard said that, according to HAL, a baseball cap was located on one of the decks that was allegedly confirmed by the wife of the missing passenger as belonging to him. The ship was sailing from St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands) to the Bahamas when the man disappeared early today.

The Coast Guard issued a statement that it was conducting a search after being notified of the incident at 5:00 AM. Two Coast Guard ships and a helicopter have been dispatched to search for the passenger, whose name has not been released.

HAL issued a statement that the cruise ship turned around at some point and has joined the search for the missing passenger. The ship left Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday for a seven-day cruise.

You can read about prior recent disappearances from HAL cruise ships:
The Veendam just last month.
The Oosterdam involving a young man.
The Maasdam involving an elderly man.
The Zaandam involving a young woman.

The overboard from the Zaandam revealed a lack of credibility by HAL's PR department.

 ::snipping2::

HAL has had 5 passengers overboard from its cruise ships in just the last couple of years. All remain mysteries.

As best as I can tell, there has never been a determination regarding the cause of any of the HAL over-boards and there has never been a case where HAL admitted that it had closed circuit television (CCTV) images of what happened.

It's disturbing that people can somehow just disappear on the high seas with no explanation and no video of what happened.  You'd think that the cruise line would revamp its security systems when not one single overboard has been solved in the last three years. It also raises the issue whether HAL is being transparent with the public.

 ::snipping2::

November 30, 2012 Update: The missing passenger has been identified in the press as Jason Gregory Rappe. HAL issued a statement to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspaper, which you can read here.The statement is silent regarding when the wife reported her husband missing to the cruise line and when the cruise line notified the Coast Guard.  In recent overboard cases, the cruise lines have delayed as long as several hours before notifying the Coast Guard.

December 1, 2012: The Eurodam returns to Fort Lauderdale this morning and the FBI should be boarding the cruise ship. At the same time, over two thousand passengers will disembark and begin to head home.  If you were on the cruise and have information about Mr. Rappe's disappearance, please leave a comment. If you have any questions, you may contact me directly - jim@cruiselaw.com     

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/south-florida-travel/2012/11/30/man-missing-from-holland-americas-ms-eurodam-cruise-ship/

Man missing from Holland America’s ms Eurodam cruise ship
by: Arlene Satchell November 30th, 2012 | 4:49 PM

 ::snipping2::

Here’s the statement from Holland America about the incident:

Seattle, Nov. 29, 2012

“At 3:30 am local time this morning, a 42-year-old male guest sailing on ms Eurodam was reported missing by his wife.  The ship contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, turned around and coordinated with the Coast Guard to assist in the search for the man, who is a U.S. citizen. Eurodam was released at 4:00 pm local time by the USCG and is now proceeding to Fort Lauderdale for an on-time arrival Dec. 1. The ship departed St. Thomas yesterday at 5:00 pm local time and was en route to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, where a call was originally scheduled for tomorrow but has now been cancelled. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guest and his family. ”

 ::snipping2::

I believe Jason Rappe is on the left in this picture with his wife and brother last month.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=566545723362404&set=a.161983437151970.37594.100000209441757&type=1

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/577786_566545723362404_221624833_n.jpg)

 ::snipping2::

Eric Erockthepay Rappe Jason, Tine and I at their o'fest party a month ago.
10 hours ago · 1

 ::snipping2::

Jason Rappe's Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/jason.rappe.35

His wife's Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/mariechristine.starnesrappe

Article his brother wrote about him...

http://erockthepay.com/2012/07/09/true-steelers-fan/

True Steelers Fan
Posted on July 9, 2012

I have posted in the past about my brother Jason and his fight with cancer. Well we are all praying that this is a fight he has won, and in typical Jason fashion he has done it with style. For any of you who are new to my blog or have not read the posts about him I will repeat some of the story.

On Jason’s 40th birthday he started to have some trouble seeing our of his right eye. At first it was just a blurry spot, and we all joked that it was from the large amount of beer that was being poured down his neck that night. After several weeks of this problem he decided to get it checked out by a doctor.

Cancer is a word that I never thought was even possible to hear in relation to him. He is my big brother and there is nothing in the world that could hurt him. As strange as it sounds, this may have been true.

Jason went thru several laser treatments to try to “fry” the cancer out. When this did not work they told him that his other option was to remove the eye completely. I am sure that this was a difficult decision, and again in big brother fashion he never let on how tough it must have been, but he decided that it was better to lose an eye than to lose a battle against cancer.

When the operation was done and fittings started to happen for a prosthetic he asked if he could get one with the symbol for the Pittsburgh Steelers on it. As I understand it there was some argument from the doctors who explained that the prosthetics looked very real and he could go thru life with most people never knowing he even lost an eye at all. Jason did not care. If he was going to have a fake eye, he was going to do it in style. A couple of weeks ago he showed up at my house with his new eye finally in place. He had won the argument. I hope that everyone will share this post. I want it to be seen by everyone. Even in the face of life changing diversity, my brother acted like a true Steelers fan, and a complete rock star.

The pictures that I am including are real. it is not Photoshop, or a contact. this is the eye My brother wears every day of his life. I respect the hell out of his strength, and his sense of humor. I love him for the fact that in a situation that would have wrecked me, he made a stand. He doesn’t want to hide what happened, he only wants to show his love for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a way that most never could.

Please share this post. Please comment on here so he can see the support that people have for his brave decision, and his loyalty to his team. Please let the world know that Jason is a true member of Steeler Nation!

Picture link:

http://erockthepay.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/577375_498355366848107_74530921_n.jpg

Other blog articles Eric Rappe wrote about his brother, Jason.

http://erockthepay.com/2012/04/03/jason-part-3/

http://erockthepay.com/2012/04/01/jasonpart-2/

http://erockthepay.com/2012/03/20/my-hero-jason/

So sad.  Wonder if his cancer returned anyway? 

Yes it is, and I wondered about that too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22473441
Cruise passengers fall overboard off Australia
May 9, 2013

An air and sea search is continuing off the Australian coast for a man and a woman who appear to have fallen from a cruise ship on Wednesday night.
A surveillance camera on the Carnival Spirit showed the pair plunging from the mid deck, about 120km (75 miles) off the coastal city of Forster.

They were only discovered missing after the vessel docked in Sydney, some 300km south of Forster, on Thursday morning.

It is unclear if the two jumped or fell by accident.

The authorities say an aeroplane, a helicopter and boats are searching a 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) area of the sea.

The 26-year-old woman and the 30-year-old man are believed to have been in the water since 20:50 local time on Wednesday (11:50 GMT).
 ::snipping3::
The vessel's last stop before Sydney was Mare Island in New Caledonia on Monday.

Nearly 2,700 passengers were aboard the ship on a South Pacific Cruise.

The vessel is operated by Carnival Cruise Lines.

I truly do not know how anyone could fall off of a cruise ship unless they were drunk or being careless.

It does sound very suspicious to me, Cookie.   ::rhino::

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-09/search-on-for-two-missing-from-cruise-ship/4680056
Search on for two missing from cruise ship
May 9, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/znaAmRh.jpg)
Photo:  Two police officers check for fingerprints on the balcony of a cabin on the Carnival Spirit. (AFP: William West)


 ::snipping3::
CCTV footage showed 30-year-old Paul Rossington and 27-year-old Kristen Schroder going overboard from the Carnival Spirit about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Forster on Wednesday night.

The couple had been holidaying with family on the 10-day cruise, and were reported missing yesterday morning when the ship docked at Circular Quay in Sydney.

Mark Hutchings from the NSW Police Marine Area Command says it is unclear whether the pair jumped or fell.

"It does depict a person going over and then a short time [later] another person going over. We can't tell from the footage which is which," he said.

He said search teams were "still holding out hope" the pair would be found alive, but added "it's getting more and more difficult as time goes on".

Mr Rossington is a paramedic with the NSW Ambulance Service.

In a statement the service said it was supporting Mr Rossington's colleagues and its thoughts were with the pair's families and friends.

Search and rescue boats have spent the night scouring an area spanning about 500 square nautical miles.
 ::snipping3::

An interesting site I came across: 


http://cruisejunkie.com/

cruisejunkie dot com

YOUR RESOURCE FOR
THE OTHER INFORMATION
ABOUT THE CRUISE INDUSTRY

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/world/asia/australia-missing-cruise-passengers/index.html
Search ends for 2 passengers believed to have fallen off cruise ship
May 10, 2013

(CNN) -- After scouring hundreds of miles of waters off Australia's coast, authorities on Friday called off a search for two cruise ship passengers who are believed to have fallen overboard.
The 30-year-old man and 27-year-old woman were reported missing when the Carnival Cruise ship Spirit docked in Sydney on Thursday morning, CNN affiliate Seven Network reported. The first clue came when they didn't claim their luggage.
Maritime officers reviewed surveillance video from the ship and determined that Paul Rossington and Kristen Schroder went overboard Wednesday night. Authorities believe the couple fell about 150 kilometers (93 miles) off Foster, New South Wales.
"We believe that they were up mid-deck, which is halfway up the side of the ship, which is quite a way to fall," said Detective Superintendent Mark Hutchings of the New South Wales Police Marine Area Command.

Late Friday afternoon, New South Wales police said they called off the search after finding no sign of the couple. The search, involving an Australian navy ship, the police force's marine unit and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, covered 1,360 square nautical miles, they said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cbs.com/shows/48_hours/video  George Smith
48 Hours
Murder at Sea? S25 Ep36 (42:59)

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/15/fbi-to-reportedly-review-2005-honeymoon-cruise-ship-death/?test=latestnews (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/15/fbi-to-reportedly-review-2005-honeymoon-cruise-ship-death/?test=latestnews)

FBI to reportedly review 2005 honeymoon cruise ship death

Published May 15, 2013

FBI officials are reportedly reviewing the 2005 death of a Connecticut newlywed who disappeared on his honeymoon cruise.

George Allen Smith IV, 26, of Greenwich, was celebrating his marriage aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise when he vanished somewhere between Greece and Turkey on July 5, 2005. His body never has been recovered, NBCNewYork.com reports.

George Smith Sr. said Monday that relatives were elated that authorities are investigating the case again. Smith's mother said the search for answers has been an ongoing nightmare.

"The last eight years have been horrific actually," Maureen Smith told the website. "Not only losing our son, trying to find out what happened to him."

Royal Caribbean officials have said Smith’s disappearance followed a night of heavy drinking. His wife was found unconscious on a floor far the couple’s cabin.

Smith’s relatives, however, believe he was murdered. Several pieces of evidence, including bloodstains in the cabin and loud sounds heard that night, indicate foul play, they claim.

 ::snipping3::

http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/fire-breaks-out-aboard-cruise-ship-florida-6C10086722
Fire breaks out aboard cruise ship off Florida
May 27, 2013

A fire broke out early Monday aboard a cruise ship off the Florida coast, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed.

The fire was contained to a small area of the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas and had been put out early Monday morning, the agency said.

Responders were using equipment onboard the ship to put out the fire as opposed to battling it from a cutter, the agency said.

There were no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said.

Officials said the fire was contained to the third deck - out of 11 - on the 916-foot ship.

It was categorized as a “Class A” fire, which means it broke out in solid combustible materials such as wood or plastic and did not involve fuel or other flammable liquids, the Coast Guard said.

The ship radioed for assistance, the Coast Guard station in Lake Worth, Fla., said, declining to give further specifics.

NBC affiliate WPTV reported that another cruise ship, the Carnival Sensation, had been put on standby to help the ship in case of evacuations.

The Grandeur of the Seas was recently given a $48 million refurbishment and was based in Baltimore, according to the Royal Caribbean website.

The 74,000-ton ship, carrying 2,224 passengers and 796 crew members, was on its way to Coco Cay, Bahamas, when the fire broke out, Royal Caribbean Cruises said in a statement.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.khou.com/news/Man-charged-with-tossing-wife-off-cruise-ship-211978011.html
Man charged with strangling wife, tossing her off cruise ship
June 18, 2013

SANTA ANA, Calif.—A California grand jury has indicted a Florida man on charges he strangled his ex-wife and tossed her off a cruise ship in Italy.
The Orange County Register says 55-year-old Lonnie Kocontes, of Safety Harbor, Fla., didn’t enter a plea at his arraignment Monday. He was indicted Friday on a charge of murder for financial gain.
He’ll try to have the case dismissed at a June 26 hearing, arguing that local authorities lack jurisdiction to prosecute.
Kocontes and 52-year-old Micki Kanesaki were divorced but had lived together on and off in Mission Viejo. They were sharing a cabin on a 2006 cruise when she went overboard. Her body later washed ashore.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.khou.com/news/Man-fell-to-his-death-from-cabin-balcony-on-Carnival-cruise-ship-214230361.html
Man fell to his death from cabin balcony on Carnival cruise ship
July 3, 2013

GALVESTON, Texas -- During a seven-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Magic, a 39-year-old male guest accidentally fell from his cabin balcony and landed on an open deck area three decks below, on Tuesday morning.
The victim was sitting on the balcony railing and accidentally fell, according to witnesses who were on the balcony with him at the time.
The guest died.
Carnival’s Care Team is providing assistance and support to the guest’s traveling companions and family back home.
 ::snipping3::

(http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/oo242/Brandi-Monkey/WEATHER/Animation1b.gif)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2562667/Worker-nude-cruise-beat-raped-American-passenger-31-tried-throw-OVERBOARD-called-son-b.html
Cabin steward on nude cruise beat and raped American passenger, 31, then tried to throw her OVERBOARD after she called him a 'son of a b****'
February 19, 2014

*Victim had phone cord wrapped round her neck in vicious attack
*Indonesian Ketut Pujayasa told FBI woman had insulted him at breakfast
*28-year-old charged with attempted murder and aggravated sexual abuse

Soccer fan cruise ship incident: Jorge Alberto Lopez Amores remains missing     6.20.14

A soccer fan's cruise ship excursion has now gone horribly awry. A man named Jorge Alberto Lopez Amores is missing from a cruise ship that was carrying fans of the Mexican World Cup team. Fox Sports shared the latest information on Friday.
 
Several witnesses on the MSC Divina indicate that the missing man jumped from the cruise ship “of his own will.” It does seem, based on witness reports, that heavy drinking had been involved prior to the man's disappearance. Both Mexican officials and people from the cruise company have verified that they are searching for the man.
 ::snipping3::

Unfortunately Jorge Alberto Lopez Amores is said to have fallen into very deep waters. In addition, the drop from where he fell or jumped from the ship was about 15 stories high. The incident happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, so at this point things look quite grim for the soccer fan in the cruise ship incident.
http://www.examiner.com/article/soccer-fan-cruise-ship-incident-jorge-alberto-lopez-amores-remains-missing

http://www.cruiseshipnews.co.uk/20141013/carnival-cruise-cancellations-due-to-ebola-a-setback/
Carnival cruise cancellations due to Ebola a setback
October 13, 2014

The Ebola issue in Africa has caused a bit of a setback for the likes of the Carnival Cruise Line due to several cancellations, although they are not alone. While something like this is out of their hands, and cancelling cruises is the best course of action, it is still a hammer blow to a company that has just started to get back on its feet.

The cruise industry as a whole has been hit hard by the spread of the Ebola virus, but Carnival saw its shares fall last week due to a change of itineraries, and people feeling uneasy about the cruise sector as a whole due to fears of an all-out outbreak.

Cruise ship companies have now been advised not to send their ships to ports near West African countries affected by the spread of this virus.

Carnival had seen increased bookings on its cruises, and started to see a healthy profit once again, due to people feeling at ease with the cruise ship operator. Not only that, but with huge savings on fuel over the past seven years, things were truly looking up for them.

It is for this reason why fears of a spread of the Ebola virus could prove a setback for Carnival, and as such will now need to readjust its finical figures, something that investors may react negatively to.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/story/travel/news/2014/10/17/cruise-ship-ebola/17401823/
Worker who may have handled Ebola specimen on cruise
October 17, 2014

A health care worker who may have handled a specimen from the Liberian man who died from Ebola in Dallas is on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

Industry giant Carnival says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified it late Wednesday that a passenger on the Texas-based Carnival Magic was a lab supervisor at the Dallas hospital where Thomas Eric Duncan died from the disease earlier this month.

Carnival says the unnamed woman has been placed in isolation on the ship and has shown no signs of illness.
 ::snipping3::
Carnival says it is in close contact with the CDC, and "at this time it has been determined that the appropriate course of action is to simply keep the guest in isolation on board."

The Carnival Magic is on a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean that began Oct. 12 in Galveston, Texas. The ship called at the island of Roatan, Honduras on Wednesday and Belize City, Belize on Thursday. It's scheduled to visit Cozumel, Mexico today and return to Galveston on Sunday morning.

Belize's 7 News reports the Belize government refused a U.S. request Thursday to let the Dallas health care worker disembark in Belize so she could be flown home by air ambulance from a local airport.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/world/2014/10/19/us-gets-blood-sample-from-woman-monitored-on-ship/17543409/
Cruise ship returns to Texas, Ebola scare ends
October 19, 2014

The health care worker aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines ship who was being monitored for signs of Ebola passed a blood test and was allowed to leave with other passengers when the ship docked Sunday in Texas, health officials said.

"We are able to confirm that the (Ebola) test was negative," Galveston County Health Authority spokesman Kurt Koopman said in an email to USA TODAY shortly after Carnival Magic docked in Galveston.

The woman had handled specimens from the nation's first confirmed Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died Oct. 8 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

"The Galveston County Health Authority has made the assessment that there is no evidence of a public health threat to cruise passengers or to Galveston County. The passenger and her travel partner have been allowed to disembark without restrictions," county health officials said in a statement.
 ::snipping3::
A Coast Guard helicopter had flown to the ship Saturday and received samples from health care worker for testing in Austin.

 :smt102 Possible...after all this time??
http://patch.com/new-jersey/gloucestertown...rsey-prosecutor (http://patch.com/new-jersey/gloucestertownship/human-remains-discovered-along-shoreline-south-jersey-prosecutor)

Human Remains Discovered Along Shoreline In South Jersey: Prosecutor
The remains discovered on Wednesday marks the second time this week remains were found in South jersey.
By Anthony Bellano (Patch Staff) - March 3, 2017 3:47 pm ET

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office is working with local authorities to identify human remains discovered in South Jersey earlier this week.

A skeletonized human leg, the top of a skull and several small bones have been found in the area of Pyne Poynt Park in North Camden, Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson said on Friday.

The property owner and his son discovered the human remains on the shoreline Wednesday morning.

All the remains were collected and arrangements have been made to have them sent to the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey State Anthropologist to be analyzed.

The investigation is ongoing, and no additional information was provided by a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office on Friday.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Matthew Barber at 856-225-5166 or Camden County Police Detective Webb at 856-757-7420.

 ::MonkeyNoNo:: ::MonkeyTears::

http://crew-center.com/police-searching-missing-royal-caribbean-crew-member

(http://crew-center.com/sites/default/files/missing-royal-caribbean-crewmember.jpg)

Police Searching for Missing Royal Caribbean Crew Member
Apr 22, 2017

The police in Bonaire are searching for the crew member Adriana Morales de Florencio, an employee of Royal Caribbean. The young woman of Mexican Nationality left the cruise ship, Navigator of the Seas, while the vessel was in Bonaire on April 20, but did not return before departure, setting off the alarm. According to Cruise Law News, this was Adriana’s second contract on the Navigator.

Bonaire police are asking anybody who has seen Adriana or have information, to contact the police office in Kralendijk. Notisia ING released two photos of Adriana Morales de Florencio, one from her passport and another from the Cruise Terminal CCTV camera.

According to the police description, the 23-year-old young crew member was wearing a black sleeveless blouse, short jeans, and black shoes when she was last seen at the cruise terminal checkpoint.

We hope that this is just another case of missing the ship and that the crew member will eventually turn up safe and sound.

The famous Peruvian detective for missing persons David Nostas who have solved 30,000 cases, has posted the following message, with photos of the missing crewmember:

Adriana family is requesting your support

Names: Adriana Morales Florencio
Age: 24 years
Mexican Nationality
Disappeared: April 20th, 2017
Wore Black Color: Blouse, pants and black shoes.
Distinctive Features: tattoo under the shoulder of pink flower with green.
Message sent by Inna Tapia
 

Good evening, Mr. David, my sister-in-law is missing, she's originally from Atlixco, Puebla, México. She works for Royal Caribbean Cruises and was last seen on Thursday at noon in Bonaire, and didn’t return to the ship. Don't know what happened. and to date has not been heard of her whereabouts. Friends and family are worried. Please, any information is valuable to us. Thank you in advance. I ask everyone to kindly share this post.



http://bes-reporter.com/index.php/2017/04/29/mexican-cruise-ship-employee-found-dead-buried/

Mexican cruise ship employee found dead and buried
29 APRIL 2017 BY BES-REPORTER

The missing cruise ship employee, Adriana de Morales has been found dead, buried along the coast. She was last seen leaving her cruise ship in the harbor of Kralendijk

Kralendijk- According to credible sources The BES-Reporter understands that the lifeless body of Adriana Morales has been found this evening. She was buried along the coast.

Morales had gone missing on Thursday, April 20th, when her ship docked in the harbor of Kralendijk. Morales left the ship around noon, but what was not seen again.

This morning a spokesperson for the Police had already mentioned that last night a couple of houses were searched in relation to the case and that one male person had been arrested. The BES-reporter understands that the suspect led police to the body of the missing girl.

The BES-Report also understands that Police managed to arrest the suspect because he was seen in a video image together with Morales, a moment after she had left the ship. Further details are not know at this point.

The BES-reporter extends condolences to the family of Adriana Morales, who has so tragically lost her life on our island.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1445317012156850&id=129991827022715

Bonaire Reporter
5 hrs ·
A buried body tentatively identified as that of the missing cruise ship crew member, Adriana Moreles de Florencio by a unique tattoo has been found at a farm in Playa Grandi on Bonaire. A suspect is in custody. Surveillance videos were key to the investigation and id of the suspect. Investigators from The Netherlands are assisting in the forensics. Condolences to her family..

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1445316455490239&id=129991827022715

Bonaire Reporter
April 26 at 5:28am ·
Update 9:45 pm April 29- A buried body tentatively identified as that of the missing cruise ship crew member, Adriana Moreles de Florencio by a unique tattoo has been found at a farm in Playa Grandi on Bonaire. A suspect is in custody. Surveillance videos were key to the investigation and id of the suspect. Investigators from The Netherlands are assisting in the forensics. Condolences to her family..

(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p480x480/18119572_1441642599190958_6257814247611778628_n.jpg?oh=8345518f6cc772d8c76553294a9d460e&oe=5975B523)

https://www.facebook.com/490270807812505/photos/a.490355211137398.1073741828.490270807812505/723500224489561/?type=3

Notisia ING
5 hrs ·
- BONAIRE:MEXICAN cruise ship employee found dead and buried (By Bes-Reporter.com)
The missing cruise ship employee, Adriana de Morales has been found dead, buried along the coast.
She was last seen leaving her cruise ship in the harbor of Kralendijk.
According to credible sources The BES-Reporter understands that the lifeless body of Adriana Morales has been found this evening. She was buried along the coast.
Morales had gone missing on Thursday, April 20th, when her ship docked in the harbor of Kralendijk.
Morales left the ship around noon, but what was not seen again.
This morning a spokesperson for the Police had already mentioned that last night a couple of houses were searched in relation to the case and that one male person had been arrested. The BES-reporter understands that the suspect led police to the body of the missing girl.
The BES-Report also understands that Police managed to arrest the suspect because he was seen in a video image together with Morales, a moment after she had left the ship. Further details are not know at this point.
The BES-reporter extends condolences to the family of Adriana Morales, who has so tragically lost her life on our island.

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/federal-authorities-announce-charges-cruise-ship-death-48878536
Federal authorities to announce charges in cruise ship death
July 25, 2017

Federal authorities planned to announce charges Thursday in what was described as a domestic dispute aboard a cruise ship in U.S. waters off Alaska that led to the death of a 39-year-old Utah woman.

A suspect was taken into custody, the FBI in Anchorage said late Wednesday.

Princess Cruises said the woman died Tuesday night on the Emerald Princess, which was carrying 3,400 passengers and 1,100 crew members on a weeklong trip that left Sunday from Seattle. The ship docked in Juneau, Alaska, on Wednesday morning.

Few details about the case were released as investigators went about their work. Passengers were kept aboard the ship for much of the day Wednesday, prompting some grumbling.
 ::snipping3::

The Emerald Princess was diverted to Juneau because of the investigation. The ship arrived in Juneau early Wednesday, and passengers were kept on board for more than eight hours before they were allowed to disembark.
 ::snipping3::

Earlier, several people, including at least one child, were escorted by authorities off the vessel in separate groups. Some were wearing white and gray hooded sweat shirts, with hoods or umbrellas in some cases obscuring their faces.

The groups were whisked away in vehicles with dark-tinted windows that waited in a restricted area of the port.

No further schedule changes were expected for the cruise, which was set to leave late Wednesday bound for the southeast Alaska town of Skagway.

Conversations were underway to offer passengers compensation for lost time, such as providing credits for shore excursions, Princess Cruises spokeswoman Negin Kamali said.

The FBI said it is required to step in when such deaths occur in international or U.S. waters.