The FBI is investigating a suspected homicide aboard the MSC Seascape after the cruise ship returned to Galveston, Texas, on Monday.
The vessel had left the port on Sunday afternoon for a planned seven-day voyage but was ordered back after what MSC Cruises described as a “guest incident”. It later departed again and resumed its itinerary.
Jason Leon Watford was taken into custody and booked into Galveston County Jail on an FBI hold, according to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. Port police described the case as an on-view murder investigation.
The FBI has not released details of the circumstances surrounding the death or publicly identified the person who died. ABC News, citing the Galveston County medical examiner, reported that the victim was a woman and that an autopsy was expected on Tuesday.
FBI investigation under way
An FBI maritime liaison agent from the bureau’s Texas City Resident Agency is working with the US Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection and MSC Cruises.
The FBI said it could not provide further information while the investigation remained ongoing. The agency is the primary federal authority responsible for investigating potential crimes at sea involving US jurisdiction.
MSC said it had been instructed by authorities to return to the Port of Galveston after the incident was reported.
“We are cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted,” a company spokesperson said. “The ship has since left the port and resumed its planned itinerary.”
Watford was seen being escorted from the ship by law enforcement before being taken to the county jail, according to video supplied to local television news.
The identity of the victim, the exact circumstances of the death and any potential charges against Watford have not been publicly disclosed.
