When the Carnival Cruise Elation docked in San Diego Thursday, FBI agents met the ship investigating reports that a man killed his wife while on the cruise and hid her body in the room while he vacationed.
On Tuesday, cruise ship staff responded to a cabin where there was a domestic dispute between a husband and wife, according to the FBI. When the staff arrived they found the victim, a 55-year old woman dead. The husband was taken into custody.
Passengers disembarking told reporters waiting on shore that they had heard a man may have murdered his wife during the trip.
According to one woman we spoke with, on Tuesday night passengers heard a ship code over the public address system. Later they were told the code meant there had been a death onboard the ship.
The passenger, Janie, told NBCSanDiego.com that her maitre ‘d informed their table the man had stabbed his wife in the shower with their two children in the room. He also told the passengers that the man had been taken to the brig and the woman's body was kept in a morgue onboard.
A body was removed from the ship Thursday morning and loaded into a medical examiner's van. FBI agents are on board the ship along with their Evidence Response Team (ERT).
A Port of San Diego spokesperson was on scene and confirmed a possible homicide aboard the ship but could not confirm the details given from the passenger.
Passengers said the event was all the talk of the cruise. The ship left San Diego on Saturday, July 11 and spent two days in Cabo San Lucas.
The Elation cruises to Mexico – most often to Ensenada. On July 16, the ship is scheduled to leave San Diego for four days and sail to Cabo San Lucas.
An FBI spokesperson said Carnival Cruise Line is providing full cooperation and support in this investigation.
