Missing 7/5/05 Cruise Passenger . . . on Fox News tonight

[ladycaveat]

I was doing a little channel surfing before heading up to bed. Fox News, on channel 360 here in the Washington, D.C. area, just said something about a missing honeymooner on a cruise ship . . . then went to a commercial.

Opps . . . it's back on . . . a 26 year-old CT man, George Smith, disappeared on his honeymoon cruise and foul play is thought to be involved. Royal Caribbean is the cruise line. They said that it was reported that the young couple were drinking heavily in the casino the evening of . . . or morning of his disappearance. Blood was found in their cabin and on an awning above a lifeboat. Mr. Smith worked for his father in a liquor store in Grenwich, CT (spelled wrong, I'm sure). Cruise line said he fell overboard . . . it is now in the hands of the authorities from Turkey (the curise was apparantely in the Aegean Sea). Missing since July 5, 2005, his 25 year-old bride said she didn't notice he was missing until the next morning. Sorry for the piece meal posting but I wrote as they were talking.

 

Why does it seem that so many people are disappearing from cruise ships. I know it's all relative (there are a lot more missing people on land than on a cruise ship) . . . but darn it all . . . one pays so much for a cruise, I can't believe they would just jump overboard on purpose. Accident? Possibly . . . some fool trying to play Leo's "King of the World" . . . drunk and standing on a rail or trying to go from balcony to balcony and falls overboard. No one would do that without an audience and someone would have to tell what happened. Foul play? Possible, but not probably. In this case . . . what? The wife got mad because her new husband lost in the casino . . . was too drunk to do whatever? So what? She stabbed him (blood in the cabin) and dragged him up to the lifeboat station and threw his body overboard? Only in the movies with a 200 pound bride and a 100 pound groom.

 

It's all just so confusing. And . . . from what I've read or heard . . . not one disappearance has been solved. Sort of like that missing girl in Aruba. Could it be . . . the Bermuda Triangle? Sorry . . . I'm tired. Don't mean to make light of any of this. I'm going to bed . . . :(

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I've been reading about this case, most especially because my husband and I just cruised on the Brilliance in April. This case is really quite a mystery. What has been said is the couple had been doing a lot of drinking. With that as a basis, it is a miracle folks don't fall off ships every day.

 

I really feel sorry for the wife. What a honey moon from hell!

[Allis154]

I wonder if they really had been drinking as has been implied? Having been involved in a fatal accident myself, I know rumors start very easily and alcohol is always assumed to be involved.

 

I do feel for the bride and both families. A lot of media attention at this time is horrible.

[Nitemare]

Why does it seem that so many people are disappearing from cruise ships

How many have you counted this year?

 

I haven't heard of too many folks going missing from cruise ships recently, or not so recently.

[serene56]

Nitemare--this year alone I think there was 3 or 4 of missing people falling off ships. thats 3-4 too many coz I too jsut cant understand the concept of JUST falling off a ship.

[tomc]

Lots of cases are solved. Most of them are jumpers, some are drunks who fall off the railings they are sitting on. It's rare not to have a solution.

[sillylizzie]

From: http://www.wnbc.com/news/workingwomen/4712214/detail.html

Blood Found In Cruise Ship Cabin Of Missing Conn. Man

 

POSTED: 8:58 am EDT July 12, 2005

UPDATED: 5:45 pm EDT July 12, 2005

 

ANKARA, Turkey -- Blood stains were discovered in the cruise ship cabin of a Greenwich, Conn. man who disappeared last week from a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean, investigators said.

 

George Smith had been on a 12-night cruise, and went missing somewhere between Greece and Turkey. He was missing when the ship docked at the Aegean resort of Kusadasi.

 

Smith and his wife had been drinking heavily and had been gambling at the ship's casino before his disappearance, an official from the Kusadasi prosecutor's office, told The Associated Press Tuesday.

 

His wife woke up the next morning and went to the gym, not noticing that her husband was missing, he said. Smith was reported missing after cleaners found blood stains in the cabin and alerted the ship's captain, he said.

 

The official said the woman appeared not to know what had become of her husband. She was handed over to officials from the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul after being questioned by the prosecutor, he said.

 

The official was speaking on condition of anonymity. Civil servants in Turkey are rarely allowed to speak on the record.

 

"We don't know if it is murder or not. He may have fallen over by himself, he may have fought with someone from the casino, we don't know," the official said.

 

A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Ankara, who asked not to be named, said the man disappeared somewhere between Greece and Turkey and Greek and Turkish authorities had launched a search.

 

"The circumstances of his disappearance are being investigated. U.S. officials have been involved," the spokesman said.

 

Police in the Aegean resort of Kusadasi said police divers had searched the harbor over the weekend but had not found a body.

 

Lynn Martenstein, a spokeswoman for the Royal Caribbean International company, said Monday that the Greek Coast Guard used helicopters and Coast Guard cutters during a four-day search, which was suspended late Saturday.

 

Cruise officials said earlier in the week there was an indication Smith may have fallen overboard.

 

Officials had not determined if that was the case, and were working with the FBI and international authorities to continue the investigation.

 

© 2005 by The Associated Press.

 

[patnjohn]

What about the woman on the Carnival ship? They found her purse, but not her. She was traveling with parents & kids, but not her husband.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Cruise junkie has listed several incidents for this year where people have - as they said - "fallen" from cruise ships.

I had read about the Meditterranean one a few days ago - blood in the room and th woman didn't notice!? HM!

[sillylizzie]

I had read about the Meditterranean one a few days ago - blood in the room and th woman didn't notice!? HM!

 

I was thinking the same thing - especially when she hadn't seen her husband around for a day on their HONEYMOON cruise!

[surrocruiser]

No way she wouldn't have at least wondered or eventually told someone she hadn't seen him all morning. Something's fishy......

[Max Circus]

If they do believe it was a homicide or some kind of "foul play", it will be difficult to investigate. Perhaps I have watched too many episodes of CSI or Law and Order, but the possible crime scenes have all been compromised. I assume the stewards have cleaned the rooms so there may be no fibers or hair to "send to trace" for DNA. Would (or could) the police ask RCCL to halt future cruises until they look for evidence? Interview passengers? Seems like an impossible task. It may even be hard to prove that it was accidental because of the above.

[Nitemare]

Nitemare--this year alone I think there was 3 or 4 of missing people falling off ships. thats 3-4 too many coz I too jsut cant understand the concept of JUST falling off a ship.

Agreed, but 3 or 4 out of hundreds of thousands of passengers is way far away from "so many".

[love2cruiz]

If they do believe it was a homicide or some kind of "foul play", it will be difficult to investigate. Perhaps I have watched too many episodes of CSI or Law and Order, but the possible crime scenes have all been compromised. I assume the stewards have cleaned the rooms so there may be no fibers or hair to "send to trace" for DNA. Would (or could) the police ask RCCL to halt future cruises until they look for evidence? Interview passengers? Seems like an impossible task. It may even be hard to prove that it was accidental because of the above.

 

I am ASSUMING that once the stewardess noticed blood they notified the authorities right away, and perhaps they didnt' clean the room because of this? Of course I could be wrong..you know what they say about assuming!!

[mikesteg]

Lots of cases are solved. Most of them are jumpers, some are drunks who fall off the railings they are sitting on. It's rare not to have a solution.

 

It is rare to have a solution that would stand up to any real burden of proof. "Jumper" is usually speculative and means they didn't find any other reason, and maybe that the person was reported to have been depressed. What goes onto the police report (as opposed to in the papers) and how these work out in insurance terms may be something entirely different.

 

The only jumper I recall that was truly known is the guy in Australia who jumped in mid-day from a populated deck, so there were many witnesses. That one was a weird one though, so who knows if the guy had been slipped something or what... I guess I watch too many crime dramas too! :o

[monicuba23]

How many have you counted this year?

 

I haven't heard of too many folks going missing from cruise ships recently, or not so recently.

 

Here you go. This includes all 'overboard' incidents and if/how they were resolved: http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

[Classynfun1]

I am an investigator. Trust me, the authorities are doing what they need to on this one. It just takes time. Oh, and no, I don't have any direct info on this case, just enough to know the time will give us a better picture of exactly what happened...

[jerseygirl3]

If he had accidentally fallen overboard, why would there be blood in the cabin?

 

I, too, think it's very odd that a honeymooner didn't notice her husband was gone. And even more odd that she didn't mention he was missing until ships crew were alerted by another passenger about blood on a lifeboat awning. If that hadn't occurred, when would she have mentioned her husband was missing?

[Nitemare]

Good stuff in that chart, monicuba23.

 

7 missing in 6 incidents, of which 2 in 1 incident left a suicide note, and at least 2 of the others seem clearly to be suicides.

 

Seems to me that very few folks are falling overboard accidently. Or even by getting pushed!

[madelinerose]

They were on their honeymoon and the bride didn't know the groom wasn't in the bed??? Hmmmmm....sounds like the marriage was off to a great start to begin with. Unless they had a 5,000 sq. ft. cabin, there's no way a new bride would not have known the groom wasn't in the cabin. :eek:

[Nessi]

They were on their honeymoon and the bride didn't know the groom wasn't in the bed??? Hmmmmm....sounds like the marriage was off to a great start to begin with. Unless they had a 5,000 sq. ft. cabin, there's no way a new bride would not have known the groom wasn't in the cabin. :eek:

 

I'd love a 5,000 sq foot cabin. My house is only 1,790 :D . I'm guessing that's a typo, but I thought it was funny. In all seriousness, I agree with the point made here.

[mikesteg]

It was indicated that they were "drinking heavily". I have no problem believing someone really wasted could drop into bed and fall asleep without realized DH (or DW) wasn't there. Or, she could have taken off early and went to bed without him. I didn't see anything about when she went to the gym, but if she woke up at 10 or 11am it wouldn't be odd to assume he had gone to breakfast or was out by the pool. Even if she thought it was odd, would she really go report him missing when there was a good chance he just didn't think to leave a note?

 

The bloodstain is suspicious, but there isn't any real indication of where it is or how large. Presumably larger than a few spots or the steward wouldn't have thought much of it. Still, if you fall out of bed still half-drunk and head out the door work a workout, I could see some decent sized blood stains missed.

[Seago2]

Monicuba... thanks for the scary reading material! Now I can have nightmares all night!!! I am leaving in a month with four kids and two ladies of a certain age... I sure don't want any Norwalk with my buffet- you can hold the brown fruit centerpieces and the ice in garbage cans as well. Nice scuba incident, too.

 

As far as the jumper goes... I guess I can see that Bride is so bombed that she goes to the cabin, passes out, and does not realize that Hubby never comes in after her. I can also sort of see where he comes in, bangs his head on something trying to get more money out of her pocket... or accidentally breaks a glass and cuts himself... then he goes upstairs and stupidly decides to sit on a railing, and falls off.

 

Maybe he gambles away everything, then goes downstairs, cuts himself, and then goes back up and jumps.

 

But there is NO WAY that anyone who is so hammered that she passes out, doesn't hear anything, wakes up not even putting 2 and 2 together and realizing that she is alone GETS UP AND GOES TO THE GYM! I mean, please. Staggers out in the hall looking for fluids? Yes. The gym? NO WAY. :cool:

[mrsred]

Something is amiss to be sure!

 

All I know is I'm not letting my DH get out of my sight on our honeymoon next week!

 

I'm not even checking out that list of accidents/deaths until I get back :eek:

 

Keeping track of the hurricanes is keeping me fairly busy as it is.

 

~e

[Tristan]

I have been following this case and something sounds VERY strange.

Drunk or not, if this guy was horsing around near the railing, there would have been someone he was showing off to.

 

The blood in the room is important, regardless of how large or small

the stain is. Yes, it could be unrelated, but more than likely, it is

very much related to tis man's disappearance.

 

Are they questioning the wife? From what I understand, the husband

was quite wealthy.

 

I hope they find out what happened to him.

For some reason, when people disappear from cruise ships, it

seems more sinister than when they vanish off the street.

 

I guess it's because we know they're in the water, and the only

question is: How did they get there?