The FBI is investigating the death of a 12-year-old boy who plunged to his death aboard a cruise ship.
The preteen fell from a balcony in front of horrified passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas on September 8.
It is understood he was playing with friends he had made on board shortly before falling over the cabin railing into the internal Central Park area of the ship, a plaza filled with bars, pubs and restaurants.
The tragedy occurred on the last day of the week long cruise as the ship was heading back to Galveston, Texas.
Now the FBI has revealed it is ‘aware’ and involved in a probe about the incident.
‘An FBI Maritime Liaison Agent, based out of the Texas City Resident Agency, is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the cruise line regarding this incident,’ a spokesman said.
‘Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, I am not able to provide additional details at this time.’
The FBI is the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes on the high seas.
Border patrol agents confirmed they were initially involved but have since handed over the investigation.
‘On September 7 CBP was notified of the death of a passenger on a cruise ship while at sea,’ a spokesman said.
‘Upon arrival to the Galveston Seaport the following day, CBP officers were asked to briefly assist cruise employees on the ship until other law enforcement arrived to investigate the incident.’
Friends said the boy was on board with his family, including two sisters, for a birthday celebration.
Passengers lining up to board at Galveston for the boat’s next cruise were told they would have to wait as investigations continued on board.
Royal Caribbean confirmed in a statement that a death had occurred on board and that staff were in contact with the family.
The company refused to release any more information but horrified witnesses said the boy had fallen from his family’s cabin on Deck 14 to the Central Park atrium on Deck 8 at around 5pm.
‘We were a few rooms down and saw undercover cops investigating the room this morning,’ wrote Melissa Anderson. ‘Birthday decorations on the door and inside the room, with a chair pushed against the balcony.
‘It had rained that afternoon and the balconies were damp,’ added Becky Potter. ‘It would be difficult to fall if you stand on the ground, but if on the chairs or wet table top anything is possible.’
The boy had taken part in the cruise’s teen-club, and many passengers said their children had got to know the boy before his death.
‘The conversations I have had to have with my son really tripped me up,’ wrote Shannon Elizabeth from Belfair in Washington.
‘My son and him actually got really close on the cruise, and he saw too much of what happened.’
‘My family and I saw the incident unfold right before us as we were looking down into Central Park from the pool deck,’ wrote Christa Schoolfield. ‘We did not see whether he jumped or was playing around.’
‘My daughter was friends with him and said he was upset today,’ posted Sara Tullas on a Facebook page for passengers. ‘She is so upset. I wish I would have known he was struggling today.’
Attorney Spencer Aronfeld, who has been going head to head with cruise operators for the last 35 years, told The Washington Post it would be ‘extremely unlikely’ the boy simply fell over.
‘The majority of railing cases I’ve investigated deal with intoxicated passengers sitting in the railings or leaning over the railings or intentionally going over,’ he wrote.
The French-built ship was the world’s largest cruise liner when it was launched in 2016, with rooms for more than 7,000 passengers across its 18 decks.
Geared towards family-bookings it boasts ‘endless opportunities’ for children to ‘make friends and engage in fun, educational, supervised activities with other cruisers in their age group’.