Woman Found Dead Aboard the MSC Seascape; a Passenger Is in the Galveston County Jail on an FBI Hold After the Ship Turned Back
The Seascape left Galveston at 4 p.m. Sunday on a seven-day Caribbean cruise and was back by Monday morning. A 48-year-old East Texas passenger was led off in handcuffs, the FBI is investigating a death at sea, and the ship has sailed again - with an autopsy set for Tuesday.
A seven-day Caribbean cruise out of Galveston turned back within hours on Sunday night after a woman was found dead aboard the MSC Seascape, and on Monday federal agents led a passenger off the ship in handcuffs in a murder investigation that officials have so far described only in outline.
The passenger was identified as Jason Leon Watford, 48, of East Texas, who was taken to the Galveston County Jail on an FBI hold, the New York Post reported, citing Fox 26. Galveston County medical examiners confirmed to ABC News that the person who died was a woman; her identity and any relation to Watford have not been released, and an autopsy was expected Tuesday. An FBI spokesperson told KHOU that, with the investigation ongoing, no additional details would be provided - and no murder charge has been announced.
Passengers pieced the night together from announcements. The Maltese-flagged ship left Galveston at 4 p.m. Sunday and changed course at about 11 p.m.; travelers woke Monday morning back in Galveston to announcements describing a medical emergency, and one passenger told ABC13 he saw medical staff with gloves on his deck, while another reported seeing investigators in gloves and protective suits on deck 10.
The FBI investigates deaths and violent crimes aboard cruise ships sailing from American ports, which is why a death at sea came back to a Texas dock. After Watford was taken off, the 19-deck ship - capacity up to 5,877 passengers - departed again Monday for Costa Maya, Mexico, then Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, and is expected back in Galveston on November 15. What happened in the hours after sailing is now the investigators' question, and the autopsy is the next fact due.
