Elizabeth Galeana - Overboard Cruise Ship Passenger - Voyager Of The Seas

She attended Gulf Coast High School and graduated in 2001.

Elizabeth comes from a high profile civic-minded family with roots in Michigan, though official records show the family now resides in Fort Myers, Florida.

Elizabeth was last seen at approximately 12:30am on Tuesday July 25, when she joined her parents to sleep in their stateroom. At that time the ship was at sea, about 100 miles off the coast of Italy, sailing from near Rome Italy to Naples, Italy.

Elizabeth was reported missing by her sister at approximately 7:30am Tuesday, after the vessel berthed at Naples cruise terminal.

Onboard announcement were made without a response, and an onboard search was conducted.

The Naples police conducted an investigation and the Italian Coast Guard is conducting air and sea Searches.

Passengers onboard reported that the ship was delayed in Naples, where the FBI boarded the vessel, for over three hours while security, Italian police and FBI, searched all rooms, held interviews of passengers and crew, then received video tape evidence from security cameras. This resulted in the vessel arriving in Malta an hour late.

A senior Royal Caribbean executive and a company Guest Care Team joined the ship to further assist the woman's family.

An extensive sea search was conducted.

The ship docked back in Barcelona Spain, and the passengers disembarked without Elizabeth. The family was heading to their summer home in Michigan upon arrival in the U.S.

On July 31, 2005 the family made a statement, read by Elizabeth's brother, that said Elizabeth is "dead". The family would not go into details other than to say that "foul play" was not suspected and they do not blame the cruise line.

However, media reports say the family did not bring a body home. This would lead us to think there was video footage of her going overboard in either an accident or suicide. This was confirmed by the cruise line which stated "it can be presumed she went overboard."

A spokesman for the U.S. Consulate in Naples, Italy, said Sunday that the consulate had not been notified that "an American had been found dead." However, in their press release, the family specifically thanked the U.S. Consulate in Naples for their assistance.

The family statement said, "We also want to thank the representatives of the United States government, especially Scott Turner, U.S. Consul General in Naples, and his staff for their untiring assistance in helping us dealing with the Italian authorities and the entire situation."

The consulate statement was worded in such a way, as to dance around the question, and yet indicated that "no American had been FOUND dead." This would confirm the overboard, where the body was not "found", since the family has clearly said the consulate helped them with "untiring assistance".

Update: August 17, 2006

Italian authorities found a body in the water near Ponza. They say the body is the correct sex and age for Elizabeth, and scars found match those described by family. An autopsy was performed, and it was confirmed to be Elizabeth. The official cause of death was drowning.

Elizabeth Kay Galeana

Overboard Cruise Ship Passenger

Voyager Of The Seas - Near Italy - July 25, 2006

Elizabeth Kay Galeana

Cruise Bruise: Overboard Death

Bruise Location: Near Rome Italy

Age: 22

Hometown: Fort Myers Florida

Attorney: Unknown

Details:

Elizabeth Galeana was on a seven day cruise with her family in the Mediterranean that began on July 22, 2006.