Woman found dead in cabin of Carnival Sunshine cruise ship traveling from Bahamas to South Carolina: FBI investigating ‘suspicious death’
- A woman has died on board a cruise traveling from Charleston to the Bahamas
- Upon arrival in Nassau, her body was taken by Bahamian authorities for autopsy
- The FBI in Columbia, SC, boarded the ship on March 4 and said it is investigating
The FBI is investigating the suspicious death of a woman on a cruise ship en route from Charleston to the Bahamas.
Carnival Sunshine departed South Carolina on Feb. 27, and later that day crew members and medical personnel were alerted to an unresponsive woman aboard the boat, the FBI said.
After unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate the woman, she was pronounced dead on the ship. The cruise arrived in Nassau in the Bahamas three days later, on March 1, where her body was brought in for an autopsy.
When the ship returned to Charleston on March 4, members of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team boarded the boat and examined the woman’s room.
The FBI boarded a cruise ship returning from the Bahamas on Saturday to investigate the death of a woman on board. Carnival Sunshine has been home to South Carolina since 2019 and makes regular 4- and 5-day trips to the Bahamas
Carnival Sunshine departed South Carolina on Feb. 27, and later that day crew members and medical personnel were alerted to an unresponsive woman aboard the boat (FILE PHOTO: Carnival Sunshine departing Orlando, Florida, in 2015)
It is currently unclear how the woman died, but the FBI told DailyMail.com in a statement that “the FBI is investigating certain crimes on the high seas as well as suspicious deaths of American persons.”
It added that the “incident was isolated and there was no threat to other passengers before or after the passenger was found dead.”
A spokesperson for the department’s Columbia field office declined to comment further on the incident.
Carnival, the company that operates the ship, said in a statement that it was cooperating with local authorities and that the deceased woman was aboard the boat with her husband.
“The FBI joined Carnival Sunshine yesterday morning upon her return to Charleston to investigate the death of a guest,” it read.
“Both the deceased and her husband have disembarked in Nassau and Bahamian authorities have already investigated the circumstances and are conducting an autopsy,” it added.
The Carnival Sunshine departed Charleston on Feb. 27, according to Cruise Mapper, the same day the woman became unresponsive and was pronounced dead
The boat debuted in 1996 as Carnival Destiny before being refitted and renamed in 2013
“We are fully cooperating. This is a matter for the authorities in the Bahamas and Charleston and we have no further comment,” said a Carnival spokesperson.
Carnival Sunshine has been home to South Carolina since May 2019, but debuted in 1996 as Carnival Destiny before being converted and renamed in 2013.
The ship sparked controversy in Venice in 2013 when it passed within 20 meters of the city’s historic shores while paying “a salute” to a major shareholder in the company.
Carnival also owned the Costa Concordia, which sank after colliding with rocks off the coast of Turkey in 2012 after making a similar salute to Giglio Island in 2012.
