The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Columbia, South Carolina, is investigating the suspicious death of a woman found on a Carnival cruise ship Feb. 27.
Crew members were alerted to reports of an unresponsive woman Feb. 27, and though they attempted to save her life, she was pronounced dead on the ship, Live 5 reported. The deceased woman and her husband were later brought off the ship, called the Carnival Sunshine, when it docked in Nassau, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines announced March 5.
“The FBI joined Carnival Sunshine upon its return to Charleston yesterday morning to conduct an investigation into the death of a guest,” the spokesperson said, Live 5 reported. “Bahamian authorities have already investigated the circumstances and are conducting an autopsy. We are fully cooperating. This is a matter for authorities in The Bahamas and Charleston and we have no further comments.”
FBI investigating ‘suspicious death’ of Carnival cruise passenger #chsnews https://t.co/NiJZ6Jf919
— Live5News (@Live5News) March 6, 2023
When the ship returned to Charleston on March 4, authorities from the FBI Evidence Response Team boarded the Sunshine and began to process the deceased passenger’s room, FBI spokesperson Kevin Wheeler told the outlet.
“The FBI investigates certain crimes on the high seas, as well as suspicious deaths of U.S. persons,” Wheeler added. Because the Sunshine sails under the Bahamian flag, the FBI is required to cooperate with the local authorities in the investigation, Newsweek reported. (RELATED: 15-Year-Old Boy Falls Overboard On Cruise Ship, Dies)
Authorities said the incident appears to have been isolated, and that there didn’t appear to be any threats to other passengers aboard the ship, Live 5 News reported.
