Dec 30, 2008 7:55 am US/Eastern
Family: Missing Woman May Have Jumped Off Ship
Family Says Jennifer Seitz Had "Emotional Issues" In The Past
MEXICO CITY (CBS4) ―
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Norwegian Pearl (file image)
Norwegian Cruise Line
The family of a woman who disappeared while on a cruise to Mexico on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship believes the woman may have jumped.
Monday the U.S. Coast Guard called off their search for 36-year old Jennifer Seitz. Investigators say a surveillance video from NCL's Pearl shows a woman falling overboard at 8:08 p.m. on Christmas night when the ship was about 15 miles east of Cancun. According to the Coast Guard, Seitz's husband reported her missing to cruise ship security personnel around 5 a.m. Cruise ship personnel conducted a comprehensive search of the ship. When they didn't find her, they then contacted the Coast Guard for assistance.
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 Seitz.
At 3 p.m. EST, on Monday the Coast Guard called off their aircraft and ships from the search.
"The Coast Guard and Mexican navy conducted an exhaustive search for Jennifer Seitz, but have not located her," said Capt. Dean Lee, Seventh Coast Guard District chief of staff. "Our thoughts are with Jennifer Seitz's family and friends during this difficult time."
Mexican authorities called off their search efforts Tuesday morning.
According to a statement released by Seitz's family, Jennifer had "previous emotional issues" however there were no outward signs of distress while on the seven-night cruise from Miami. 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 cruise. 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.
The FBI said agents are still investigating whether someone could have pushed her. No one has been charged. Norwegian Cruise Line said it is "cooperating fully" with the FBI.
In response to the investigation, NCL released the following statement:
NCL is cooperating fully with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who is investigating the cause of the incident in which a female guest traveling on Norwegian Pearl went overboard the evening of December 25, 2008 when the ship was off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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