woman who reportedly fell from Norwegian Cruise Line ship

[Sister Iroz]

MEXICO CITY - Three Mexican Navy boats and a helicopter were searching the waters off the Caribbean resort of Cancun on Saturday for an American woman who reportedly fell from a cruise ship, authorities said.

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

Feitz's husband reported her missing from the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship just before 5 a.m. EST Friday. Her hometown was not available.

Mexico's Fifth Naval Regional Command said in a statement that by late Friday it had found no sign of Feitz and was having to deal with "adverse conditions" and strong waves in the search taking place just over 17 miles 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.

I wish I was on a cruise.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-missing-cruise-ship-passenger-122708,0,680574.story?track=rss

[Morticia]

I'm beginning to develop a phobia about cruises. There are too many freaky things happening on them there ships.

[pissedoffindaytona]

I'm beginning to develop a phobia about cruises. There are too many freaky things happening on them there ships.

Drinking and cruising don't always mix, neither do murderous husbands and wives. :crazy:

[Pete Bondurant]

I saw this on Columbo once. Robert Vaughn did it.

http://www.tvmovies24.com/images/programmes/193748/columbo_troubled_waters_wide.jpg

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Note to self: Add "Cruises" to list of vacation options I will not be taking.

How did "Alaska in December" make it onto list of vacations I am taking?

[Sister Iroz]

How did "Alaska in December" make it onto list of vacations I am taking?

Damn, Art wants to go on an Alaskan cruise, want to go with him? I'm afraid to fly, now afraid to go on a cruise, so I guess Amtrak and car is it for me.

[Pete Bondurant]

Damn, Art wants to go on an Alaskan cruise, want to go with him? I'm afraid to fly, now afraid to go on a cruise, so I guess Amtrak and car is it for me.

http://cao2.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/trainwreck.jpeg

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Damn, Art wants to go on an Alaskan cruise, want to go with him? I'm afraid to fly, now afraid to go on a cruise, so I guess Amtrak and car is it for me.
Just say "No" to car trip as the drive is massive.

Actually, my folks took an Alaskan cruise a couple years ago and loved it. Of course, they are near 80 and anything beyond morning coffee and church is exciting.

[MichaelJCheaney]

I wish I was on a cruise.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-missing-cruise-ship-passenger-122708,0,680574.story?track=rss

I'm guessing the woman who fell overboard is wishing she was on that cruise too, instead of the water!

[Sister Iroz]

A Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ship at the center of a missing person mystery returned to the Port of Miami this morning, where FBI agents stood waiting.

Today they launched an investigation into the disappearance of Jennifer Seitz, 36, who was a passenger aboard the Norwegian Pearl, officials said.

"We're looking to see if a crime was committed on the high seas," said FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock. He added that agents interviewed numerous passengers and crew members this morning and searched the cabin Seitz was staying in for any potential clues to what may have happened to her.

Surveillance footage from a camera on the ship shows a woman falling overboard about 8:08 p.m. on Dec. 26, U. S. Coast Guard officials said today.



Smells fishy too me.

[Sister Iroz]

MIAMI -- The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Central Florida woman who reportedly fell from a cruise ship balcony off the coast of Cancun, Mexico.

Seitz, of Winter Haven, was a former reporter for the Melbourne-based newspaper Florida Today.

Local 6 News reported that the husband cooperated with authorities, but that he and his wife may have had a fight on the ship the night she disappeared.

How do you may have had a fight, you either did or you didn't. I think the husband pushed her off.

[RevAnne]

Something DOES smell fishy. The family is saying she committed suicide, the husband has gotten the cops called on him for domestic violence with her, they've only been married a year, and he was gambling in the casino the day after she fell overboard??? WTF?


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.

[Morticia]

Something DOES smell fishy. The family is saying she committed suicide, the husband has gotten the cops called on him for domestic violence with her, they've only been married a year, and he was gambling in the casino the day after she fell overboard??? WTF?

Depends. Could have been a situation where she realized she is married to a prick and takes her own life. Does the surveillance recording have enough clarity where someone can be seen pushing her?

[RevAnne]

Depends. Could have been a situation where she realized she is married to a prick and takes her own life. Does the surveillance recording have enough clarity where someone can be seen pushing her?

True. Either way, what a fucking shame.

The article I read doesn't say anything about the video except there was a person falling overboard.

[RaVen Blackehart]

From Steve Huff's True Crime Report Blog:


In a statement released by the family of Jennifer Ellis Seitz, the 36-year-old freelance writer who vanished from a Caribbean cruise last week, Seitz's family indicated that Seitz had "has had previous emotional issues." While admitting Seitz's past emotional problems, her family also stated that "there were no outward signs or indication of anything being wrong or unusual" while Jennifer was on the cruise with her husband, Raymond Seitz, and mother, Donna Ellis. Jennifer did, however, have a habit of walking the decks of the cruise ship during the trip, saying she had difficulty sleeping. This was apparently a long-term problem for the writer, who frequently mentioned trouble with sleeping in the diaries she kept to track her progress before and after lap band surgery to combat obesity.

The FBI is working to determine whether or not Jennifer Seitz's disappearance was a suicide or a homicide. While no one has officially referred to husband Raymond Seitz as a suspect in any way, MSNBC has reported that Raymond was arrested last April for domestic violence. While Florida law does not permit revealing the name of the victim of the alleged abuse, it appears as though it took place in the couple's residence. Questions have been raised in multiple reports about Ray Seitz's behavior on the Norwegian Pearl, as well -- there is the apparent hours-long gap between video of a white-clad woman going overboard and Ray's reporting of the disappearance and some allegedly inappropriate comments he made following Jennifer's vanishing; the latter seems like it might be open to interpretation.

The Coast Guard has officially called off the ocean search for Jennifer Seitz. The USCG and the Mexican Navy have searched 4200 nautical square miles. They believe there is no chance that Seitz was able to survive for this length of time.

http://truecrimereport.com/

YouTube - American Woman Goes Missing on Caribbean Cruise

[WhatThe]

She went overboard at 8 p.m. and he didn't report her missing until 5 a.m.? I find that so strange. They were celebrating their one-year anniversary. Wouldn't they have been spending their evening together and heading to their room together??? At 8 p.m. they should have been heading to dinner or maybe taking in a show. If I was on a cruise with my husband and hadn't seen him in more than an hour or two I would be in a state of panic. I have been on a few cruises and I always jokingly say to make sure you go with someone you are on really good terms with! These incidents on ships never seem to really be solved. Or solved clearly. Or something.:confused2:

[Dakota Valkyrie]

If I die and you see my hubby going off to play quarter slots, know that I am happy. Watching the SciFi channel, fixing a vehicle, watching "Tremors" for the 4,523rd time, or carving wood are also acceptable. His methods of handling stress are easily misconstrued by others.

If he's sitting quietly looking folorn or on TV bawling his eyes out, arrest the asshole.

[crickett]

The balcony rails are about waist high to me on most ships. I am 5'5". That would make it easy to fall over if one were goofing off on the balcony. But it also would make it relatively easy for one to be pushed overboard. If there were high waves and choppy water the surveillance film might be very gritty. I once went across the hallway to tell the parents of some newly graduated high schoolers know that they were attempting to drunkenly (yes, it IS 18 years of age to drink in the Caribbean area) walk on the balcony rail. They got to celebrate the rest of their voyage from the INSIDE cabin.
My bullshit button goes on over how long it took the Mister to Report the Missus missing. And how he was out the very SAME night (after reporting her and about 24 hours post her obeing overboard) GAMBLING???
Well, she may have had emotional problems but my eye is STILL on the little man.

[Peeperann]

Damn, Art wants to go on an Alaskan cruise, want to go with him? I'm afraid to fly, now afraid to go on a cruise, so I guess Amtrak and car is it for me.

Special, I used to HATE to fly, but now I just take two xanax about 30 minutes before boarding and am sound asleep by take off time! If I woke up and the plane was going down, I would be like "whoa, this looks cool"!

You just cannot be scared with that in your system!! :lollypop:

[Sister Iroz]

Special, I used to HATE to fly, but now I just take two xanax about 30 minutes before boarding and am sound asleep by take off time! If I woke up and the plane was going down, I would be like "whoa, this looks cool"!

You just cannot be scared with that in your system!! :lollypop:

LOL Peeper we went to Vegas a few years ago and that's what I did took xanax. I slept the whole damn way. Then when we left Vegas took my zannies and was out the whole time. That is the only way I will get on a plane. Art insists I take them because otherwise I'm freaking out.

I know the ole saying that you can get in a car accident on the way to the airport than an airplane crashing. Well, this is my thinking fuck that, I at least have a slight chance of come out of an car accident but not a plane crash.

[Gidget]

Special, I used to HATE to fly, but now I just take two xanax about 30 minutes before boarding and am sound asleep by take off time! If I woke up and the plane was going down, I would be like "whoa, this looks cool"!

You just cannot be scared with that in your system!! :lollypop:

Same here. Except I am a serious lightweight. One quarter of one pill in the lowest dosage and I'm napping peacefully in my seat. The only tricky part is that I need someone travelling with me to make sure I get off the plane when it lands. :sleep5:

[Dakota Valkyrie]

FBI finds no signs of foul play in overboard passenger


A lengthy investigation into the disappearance of a Florida woman who fell from a cruise ship Christmas Night two years ago has concluded with no evidence of foul play, the FBI says.

An FBI inquiry was aimed at determining whether Jennifer Ellis-Seitz, 36, of Winter Haven, had accidentally fallen overboard, was pushed or leaped to her own death from the Miami-based Norwegian Pearl at about 8 p.m. Dec. 25, 2008.

The agency's investigative efforts have since concluded, with "insufficient evidence to prove any crime was committed," said Special Agent Michael Leverock, an investigator and spokesman in the FBI's Miami office, in a recent e-mail statement.

Ellis-Seitz, a newspaper reporter turned freelance writer in Central Florida, had embarked on a seven-day voyage to celebrate her first wedding anniversary with her husband, Raymond Seitz Jr., and her mother. Four days after her disappearance, her family released a statement indicating she had previous undisclosed emotional troubles, and probably chose to end her life.
[...]

The FBI recovered surveillance video showing Ellis-Seitz falling the equivalent of 15 stories into waters east of Cancun.

Raymond Seitz, 39, and his mother-in-law searched for her for about 90 minutes before reporting his wife missing to ship security. By then eight hours had passed since she went overboard. Norwegian Cruise Line security and crew then made their own three-hour sweep of the ship before calling the U.S. Coast Guard.

The long lapse between Ellis-Setiz's disappearance and the time the Coast Guard got word hampered search efforts, officials said. The search ended with no trace of her.http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/fbi-finds-no-signs-of-foul-play-in-1152634.html

[Eccentric Lady]

I'm guessing the woman who fell overboard is wishing she was on that cruise too, instead of the water!

Thanks for the laugh - I know my humor's a bit twisted.

That's gotta suck though, really. :( But why all the big delays? You'd think once someone goes missing reportedly overboard, you call the Coast Guard then go on your own three hour hunt for the missing. =/