Florida officials launched a large-scale investigation after a cruise passenger mysteriously disappeared shortly before the ship returned to Port of Miami on Monday.
The passenger, identified as Kevin McGrath, was aboard a Carnival Cruise from Miami to Bimini, Bahamas, over the Labor Day holiday weekend but was reported missing following an “extensive search” upon the vessel’s docking.
The 26-year-old was set to meet his family for breakfast ahead of the ship’s return, however, his family said that he never showed up for the meal, Miami-Dade Police told The Post.
His family reported him missing at approximately 7 a.m. on Monday, a Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson told The Post.
After being unable to locate McGrath, the cruise company contacted the Coast Guard and Miami police.
“The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including US Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process,” the spokesperson added.
“A search of the ship’s cameras and security devices did not indicate he went overboard,” a police spokesperson told The Post.
Miami-Dade Police issued a missing person’s alert Tuesday, saying McGrath was last seen in a black shirt, shorts and gray sneakers at around 2 a.m. Monday.
Authorities described McGrath as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, and having brown hair and brown eyes.
He “may be in need of services” and police have asked anyone with information to contact authorities.
The Coast Guard also performed a helicopter search for the missing man.
McGrath’s disappearance comes just one week after a 19-year-old college student fell overboard on the world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.
Sigmund Ropich toppled into the waters off the coast of Cuba during a vacation with friends and has yet to be found.
It follows another missing person report from July, when 30-year-old Jaylen Hill disappeared while aboard a carnival cruise ship in Florida.
The Coast Guard dispatched the 87-foot cutter Tarpon from St. Petersburg, a Hercules aircraft based out of Clearwater, and a Miami-based Ocean Sentry aircraft to search for Hill.
The crews covered more than 1,347 square miles — an area nearly the size of Long Island — while looking for Hill, but their efforts yielded no results and the search was called off.
SOURCE: New york post
