Thomas Gigler, 56, a father-of-three, is believed to have gone overboard from the Carnival Panorama on 19 September, during what was meant to be a wedding anniversary trip with his wife, Michelle, 48.
What happened
The family had been sailing for six days, travelling from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Long Beach, California, when Gigler went missing. The trip coincided with the couple's 15th wedding anniversary, which was due to take place just days later on 23 September. According to The US Sun, when Michelle couldn't locate her husband, she asked crew members to page him over the ship's public address system. When he didn't respond, staff sent passengers to their rooms at 3:30pm to conduct a thorough search. After reviewing hours of security footage, crew identified a moment appearing to show Gigler going overboard while the ship was off the coast of Baja California. Both the US and Mexican Coast Guards were subsequently involved in the search.
What his family said
Gigler's sister, Wendy Dowden, disputed that her brother intended to take his own life, despite it being the working theory, telling the Daily Mail: "We think something must have happened in his head. He wasn't in his right mind to have done this."
How Carnival responded
A Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying: "Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Saturday that a male guest aboard Carnival Panorama jumped overboard while the ship was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Long Beach, California. When notified of a missing guest, the ship's team initiated search and investigation procedures, including reviewing CCTV footage and notifying both the US and Mexico Coast Guards."
How passengers experienced it
One passenger told The Independent that the captain asked everyone to return to their staterooms so crew could conduct room-to-room accountability checks, adding that the captain kept guests updated over the intercom as more information became available. In the aftermath, passengers created a small memorial for Gigler and his family using a cruise tradition involving decorated rubber ducks hidden around the ship for others to find, often personalised with names, cruise dates, and hometowns.
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