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Kevin mcgrath ‘vanished’ from carnival cruise, was reportedly on parole for assault.

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A Carnival Cruise passenger who mysteriously vanished from the ship during a family vacation was not allowed to sail because he was on probation for assault after his wife said he threatened to kill her and their kids, according to a report.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was celebrating his dad’s 60 th birthday on the Carnival Conquest when he failed to show up for breakfast as the ship headed back to Port Miami after a Labor Day weekend cruise to the Bahamas.

But the ship’s cameras and overboard detection system showed no indication that he went overboard and his disappearance has been shrouded in mystery ever since the Coast Guard called off its search.

It has now emerged that McGrath pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Tennessee in September 2022 and was sentenced to six years of supervised probation, TMZ reported .

His wife said he threatened to kill her and their children, according to the outlet, which cited legal documents.

McGrath received permission to move from Tennessee to Florida, where he was living with his parents, but his probation officers said he never got a green light to go on a cruise, the report said.

The probation office — which apparently only found out he had been aboard the Conquest when media reported about his disappearance — said he also is delinquent on $241.20 in probation fees, the outlet said.

McGrath was with a big group of relatives during the three-day cruise, his sister Danielle McGrath previously told USA Today.

He was reportedly last seen by his brother Andre at about 2 a.m. Sept. 3 and his keycard was used to enter his room around 3:30 a.m.

The family met for breakfast at 7:30 a.m., but McGrath didn’t show.

His disappearance came a week after a  young college student fell overboard  off the world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.

Sigmund Ropich, 19, tumbled into the ocean off Cuba and was never found.

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Family Desperate for Answers After Passenger Mysteriously Vanishes From Carnival Cruise Ship

🚨 #MISSING : Kevin McGrath, 26 years old, was last seen in the area of Port of Miami 1015 North America Way. The missing person may be in need of services. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477 or by dialing **TIPS. pic.twitter.com/pmAAMpgSgM — Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) September 5, 2023

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Carnival cruise passenger vanishes after ship docks in Florida

September 6, 2023 / 8:39 AM EDT / CBS News

A man has been missing for over two days after disappearing from a docked Carnival cruise ship in Miami, officials and the cruise line said. 

According to a missing persons poster released by the Miami-Dade Police Department, 26-year-old Kevin McGrath was last seen on board the Carnival cruise ship Conquest early Monday morning. McGrath was reported missing by a family member, Carnival said in a statement to CBS News. 

Police said he was last seen in his cabin aboard the ship at around 2 a.m. local time on Sept. 4. Carnival said that McGrath was "last seen in his cabin at approximately 7 a.m. according to his cabinmate."

That was around the time guests were leaving the ship, the cruise line said. An "extensive search" did not find McGrath on board. 

The U.S. Coast Guard used a helicopter to search the "water in the general vicinity," the cruise line said, and Miami-Dade police officers boarded the ship to investigate and search. McGrath was "not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," Carnival said. The ship was later cleared to sail on by police. 

McGrath, a Black man with brown eyes and brown hair, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and gray sneakers, police said. 

🚨 #MISSING : Kevin McGrath, 26 years old, was last seen in the area of Port of Miami 1015 North America Way. The missing person may be in need of services. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477 or by dialing **TIPS. pic.twitter.com/pmAAMpgSgM — Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) September 5, 2023

Police said McGrath "may be in need of services." 

The cruise line said they were in contact with McGrath's family through their Carnival Care Team.

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‘I'm sick to my stomach’: Coast Guard suspends search for vanished cruise passenger

The search for a missing Carnival cruise passenger was suspended Thursday after he mysteriously disappeared over Labor Day weekend. 

Kevin McGrath, 26, was on the Carnival Conquest heading back to PortMiami with a big group to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday, his sister Danielle McGrath told USA TODAY. The group was on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas. 

McGrath, who lives in Florida, was last seen by his brother Andre at about 2 a.m. Cellphone footage last shows him dancing to live music on Sunday night. Kevin McGrath's keycard was used to enter his room around 3:30 a.m.  

At about 7:30 a.m. Monday, the family met for breakfast, but Kevin McGrath didn’t show up. They looked for him and reported him missing when everyone disembarked the ship, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Ship staff and security searched the ship but were unsuccessful, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department told USA TODAY. 

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The overboard detection system on the ship never went off, and there is no other evidence that Kevin McGrath went overboard, according to Miami-Dade police.

More: What are cruise ship overboard detection systems and why doesn't every ship have them?

His disappearance "is so random, out of nowhere," Danielle McGrath, Kevin McGrath's sister, told USA TODAY. "Everyone has different relationships with the person but me, how I know my brother, how I last spoke to him, his energy, his spirit. This is definitely not like him."

The U.S. Coast Guard searched 3,300 square nautical miles with helicopters, but nothing showed up. 

U.S. Customs and Border Control told Carnival Kevin McGrath was not detected during the debarkation process, NBC Miami reported. 

"There’s so many scenarios that run through my head," Danielle McGrath said. "Did he fall somewhere and he’s screaming for help and no one hears him? Did he fall down an elevator shaft? I just don't know. It's just anything."

On Thursday, Carnival Cruise Line told USA TODAY it was continuing the investigation, “including multiple reviews of closed circuit video footage and we are also cooperating with law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard.”

The cruise line said the police have cleared Carnival Conquest to sail, and the Carnival Care Team is supporting the family.

Danielle McGrath said that Miami-Dade police and the U.S. Coast Guard have been checking in with the family to offer their support but that Carnival had stopped. "(To) me, personally speaking, you should be reaching out every minute. There’s so many cases where stuff gets shoved under the rug, and it's 40 years later and families still suffer."

"I haven’t eaten all day. I haven’t had a sip of anything all day. My eyes hurt from crying up and down. I’m sick to my stomach."

She said the Port St. Lucie community where she and her brother are from has been offering "a lot of love" to the family.

Between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 overboard incidents around the world involving passengers and crew, according to statistics compiled for Cruise Lines International Association by consulting firm G.P. Wild (International) Limited. Only 48 people were rescued.

Cruise ships have safeguards to prevent passengers from going overboard and are required by the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 to have rails that are "located not less than 42 inches above the cabin deck."

Cmdr. Jason Kling, Detachment Chief at the U.S. Coast Guard's Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise, which conducts compliance inspections of cruise ships embarking passengers in U.S. ports or embarking U.S. passengers, told USA TODAY in March that many cruise ships complied with that even before the law was enacted.

Contributing: Nathan Diller

Carnival cruise passenger reported missing after ship returns to port in Miami

Police and federal authorities are searching for a man who was reported missing Monday morning after a Carnival cruise ship returned to Miami.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen at 7 a.m. Monday in his cabin as the Carnival Conquest reported back to the Port of Miami, Carnival said in a statement Tuesday. He was reported missing by his family and "was not located on board despite an extensive search."

Miami-Dade police issued a missing person's alert Tuesday morning for McGrath, who was last seen in a black shirt, shorts and gray sneakers. Police said he "may be in need of services" and asked anyone with information to contact authorities.

After McGrath could not be found on board, the Coast Guard was contacted, and Miami police officers arrived to investigate, Carnival said.

"The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," the company said.

McGrath's brother declined to comment when contacted by phone Tuesday.

The Coast Guard confirmed that its crews are "actively searching near the Port of Miami and along the South Florida shore" after the missing person's report Monday.

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

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Carnival cruise company slammed for customer satisfaction survey during search for missing passenger

Woman claims she found out on the news that a man went missing on the same cruise she was on, article bookmarked.

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A video that gained over 600,000 views on TikTok blasted Carnival Cruise for not alerting other passengers of the disappearance of a man, instead sending them a survey asking how their holiday was.

A woman has blasted Carnival Cruise for not alerting other passengers to the disappearance of a man, instead sending them a survey asking how their holiday was.

In a video that has gained over 600,000 views on TikTok, Jenn Lyles claimed she was on the cruise ship with Kevin McGrath , 26, the man who went missing on 4 September on the Carnival Conquest cruise ship.

Mr McGrath was last seen in his cabin at 2am by his brother, said Carnival in a statement. Mr McGrath was supposed to meet his family for breakfast on the ship before it docked at Port Miami, but never turned up, authorities said. By 7am, the family filed a missing persons report.

Ms Lyles, who stated she did not know the missing person but was aboard the same ship, said that she only found out about the incident through scrolling on the news on her phone.

She said that one morning, she got an email from Carnival Cruises asking her to fill out a survey on her experience on the cruise.

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“How about an email that says, ‘Hey, there’s a guy missing. Did you see him? He wasn’t seen past 2 a.m., he never showed up to meet his family for breakfast. This is his photo,’” Lyles said.

She said that she was never alerted by the cruise company that the incident had happened.

“Is this what happens when you go missing on a cruise ship? They’re not even going to alert the other passengers who might have seen something?” Ms Lyles continues in the video.

She adds that her friends have been in contact with Mr McGrath’s family, who said that when they post the missing persons poster on the Carnival Facebook page, it keeps getting taken down, she alleges.

A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line gave a statement to The Independent on the content of the TikTok video. They said, “On the morning of Sept. 4, a guest reported a family member missing after Carnival Conquest had returned to PortMiami and guests were already disembarking from the ship. Local law enforcement is in charge of the investigation and our team members have fully cooperated with officials,” the statement read.

“We’re not sure what the survey sent to guests has to do with this as it is a routine post-cruise communication. If the guest in the TikTok video had information to share, she should have contacted us or Miami Dade Police, but as her comments suggest, she does not have anything to contribute to the investigation.”

Missing Carnival passenger Kevin McGrath

After Mr McGrath went missing, an “extensive search” of the boat was carried out. The Coast Guard reportedly searched around the Port of Miami and along the South Florida shore to try and find Mr McGrath.

Miami police officers also joined the search to try and locate the man who “may be in need of services,” according to police.

"The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," said a spokesperson for Carnival.

“A search of the ship’s cameras and security devices did not indicate he went overboard,” a police spokesperson told The New York Post .

The cruise ship had just returned from a four-day sail around the Bahamas, before returning to Miami.

The ship was cleared by the police in order for Carnival Conquest to set sail again, and has now completed multiple trips back and forth to the Bahamas, according to CruiseMapper .

This incident has come just after a man, 19, named Sigmund Ropich fell overboard on the world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, last week.

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Other incidents have also occurred on Carnival cruise ships , such as a man who went missing on the Carnival Magic in the Gulf of Mexico in November, however, he was fortunately found.

It is estimated that 19 people go overboard on cruise ships each year, and only around four people are rescued, according to Insider.

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Carnival Cruise is operating business as usual after a man who was last seen onboard its ship vanished

• It's been nearly two weeks since a man last seen on a Carnival Cruise was reported missing. 
• Friends, family, and fellow passengers have been appealing for information about Kevin McGrath.
• Many are upset that Carnival has carried on its cruising business as usual.

It's been nearly two weeks since a 26-year-old former US Army veteran seemingly vanished the morning a Carnival Cruise liner docked in the Port of Miami after a family vacation. 

McGrath was reported missing at 7 a.m. on September 4, the day he and his family were set to disembark the Carnival Conquest, a representative of Carnival told Insider. Miami-Dade Police also told Insider he was last seen hours before at 2 a.m. by his brother.

Three days later, the US Coast Guard announced it had called off a search for McGrath in the waters surrounding the port, NBC Miami reported .

Over a week later, McGrath's whereabouts remain unknown. While the cruise line told USA Today it was cleared by police to resume services, it's a move heavily criticized by McGrath's loved ones and some of his fellow passengers. 

Carnival did not respond to Insider's request for comment on its standard procedure in cases of missing passengers. However, a representative said that "guests were already disembarking from the ship" when McGrath was reported missing. 

"Local law enforcement is in charge of the investigation and our team members have fully cooperated with officials," they added. 

Jenn Lyles, a passenger who was on the same cruise as McGrath and his family, told Insider she "found it weird that passengers weren't informed or even sent a picture to share if we saw him or knew something."

In a video she shared on TikTok , Lyles – who said she found out McGrath was missing by scrolling the news after the cruise – criticized Carnival for sending out a customer satisfaction survey about the voyage days after disembarkation instead of appealing for information about McGrath's whereabouts. 

@jenn_lyles What are we doing to find this man?! HELP!!!! #kevinmcgarth #missingperson #miamiPD #carnivalcruise ♬ original sound - Jenn Lyles

"How about an email that says 'Hey, there's a guy missing. Did you see him? He wasn't seen past 2 a.m. He never showed up to meet his family for breakfast. This is his photo," Lyles said in the video, which has over 660,000 views.

"Is this what happens when you go missing on a cruise ship?" she added.

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A Carnival Cruise representative told Insider the survey is "routine port-cruise communication" and unrelated to McGrath's disappearance.

"If the guest in the TikTok video had information to share, she should have contacted us or Miami Dade Police, but as her comments suggest, she does not have anything to contribute to the investigation," they added. 

Nevertheless, Lyles' criticism has been widely echoed by McGrath's loved ones and strangers as they continue to draw attention to his disappearance and share links to a Change.org petition addressed to Carnival. 

The petition bio said it was created on behalf of McGrath's family, friends, and supporters.

"We believe that Carnival wants to and will do the right thing," it states. "We believe that human life should take priority and precedence over any financial gain. To date, Carnival has shown us that they do not feel the same."

McGrath's father, Sean McGrath, told the local outlet Treasure Coast News that the family is seeking any and all information about his son's case. He added that 43 friends and family members were on the three-day cruise to celebrate him turning 60. 

"Even if it's something for closure," he said. "We just want to not get up every day and not know where he is or what happened to him."

McGrath's sister Danielle also spoke out about the case and appealed for information from the public in an interview with NBC Miami.

"My brother didn't just vanish," Danielle McGrath said. "Someone knows something. Someone's seen something. I just want my brother home. My family wants my brother home. Just please, we need him home."

Friends and family of McGrath did not respond to requests for comment. 

The Conquest has made several voyages since McGrath was reported missing. Voyage data shared on Vessel Finder reports recent port calls include Nassau, Bahamas, on September 10 and Cozumel, Mexico, on Wednesday. 

Miami-Dade police did not respond to further requests for comment on whether a search for McGrath is ongoing, and whether it has been in contact with his family members. 

While authorities told Insider that there is no evidence that McGrath went overboard while on the cruise, his disappearance comes after at least six people have gone overboard on cruises in the last four months, Insider's Hannah Towey reports. 

A 2020  study from the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association found that 19 people go overboard on cruise ships each year on average. 

Watch: The rise and fall of the cruise industry

• Main content

‘My brother didn't just vanish': Family frustrated after Carnival Cruise passenger disappears

Kevin mcgrath has been missing since monday. carnival officials said he wasn't seen in surveillance footage., by kim wynne • published september 6, 2023 • updated on september 7, 2023 at 12:37 pm.

Danielle McGrath says the past few days have been unnerving for her and her family.

“All of our emotions are up and down right now,” McGrath said. “All of us.”

Her brother, 26-year-old Kevin McGrath, a father of two, has been missing since Monday. He was last seen in his cabin around 7 a.m. Monday morning on a Carnival cruise ship heading back to Port Miami. The trip was a birthday celebration for their father.

“The whole point of the cruise was to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday, and it was a big group of about 40 people,” she said.

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McGrath said later Monday morning — as the cruise was ending and passengers were disembarking — the family gathered for breakfast, but Kevin never showed up.

“When it’s time to meet up for breakfast, no one can find him,” she said.

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Family members searched all over the cruise ship.

“He wasn’t in the room,” McGrath said. “No one could find him. No one.”

Once they reported him missing, the U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and searched the water by helicopter. Miami-Dade Police are also investigating but have no leads.

“The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," a Carnival spokesperson said in part in a statement to NBC6. "Miami-Dade Police eventually cleared the ship to sail. The Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest’s family.”

The Coast Guard announced Thursday that they were suspending their search for McGrath.

“My jaw just dropped,” said friend Mitchell Branch. “I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say.”

Branch said he and Kevin served in the U.S. Army together.

“We were in the same unit, same battalion, same company,” he said.

He and other family members say Kevin would never disappear and was always in good spirits.

“He’s always the light of the room,” Branch said.

“He has this huge personality that will definitely stick out in any room,” McGrath said. “He’s very straightforward, goofy, he’s funny.”

McGrath is urging other passengers who may have seen him that morning to speak up.

“My brother didn’t just vanish,” McGrath said. “Someone knows something. Someone’s seen something. I just want my brother home. My family wants my brother home. Just please, we need him home.”

Family members say Kevin was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts, and gray sneakers.

Anyone with information should call Miami-Dade Police at 305-715-3300.

This article tagged under:

‘I'm sick to my stomach’: Coast Guard stops search for PSL cruise passenger who vanished

The search for a missing Carnival cruise passenger from Port St. Lucie has been suspended after he mysteriously disappeared over Labor Day weekend. 

Kevin McGrath, 26, was on the Carnival Conquest heading back to PortMiami with a big group to celebrate his dad’s 60th birthday, his sister Danielle McGrath told USA TODAY. The siblings are from Port St. Lucie. The group was on a  three-day cruise  to the Bahamas. 

McGrath was last seen by his brother Andre at around 2 a.m. Cell phone footage last shows him dancing to live music on Sunday night. Kevin McGrath's keycard was used to enter his room around 3:30 a.m.  

At around 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, the family met for breakfast, but Kevin McGrath didn’t show up. They looked for him and reported him missing when everyone disembarked the ship, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Ship staff and security searched the ship but were unsuccessful, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Police Department told USA TODAY. 

The overboard detection system on the ship never went off, and there is no other evidence that Kevin McGrath went overboard, according to the MDPD.

More:  What are cruise ship overboard detection systems and why doesn't every ship have them?

"(His disappearance is) so random, out of nowhere," Danielle McGrath, Kevin McGrath's sister, told USA TODAY. "Everyone has different relationships with the person but me, how I know my brother, how I last spoke to him, his energy, his spirit. This is definitely not like him."

The U.S. Coast Guard searched around 3,300 square nautical miles with helicopters, but nothing showed up. 

PortMiami, formally known as the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is the largest and busiest cruise port in the world, on a 518-acre site, accommodating over 6.8 million cruise passengers each year, according to MiamiDade.gov. It is in Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Carnival that Kevin McGrath was not detected during the debarkation process, NBC Miami reported. 

"There’s so many scenarios that run through my head," Danielle McGrath said. "Did he fall somewhere and he’s screaming for help and no one hears him? Did he fall down an elevator shaft? I just don't know. It's just anything."

On Thursday, Carnival Cruise Line told USA TODAY it was continuing the investigation, “including multiple reviews of closed circuit video footage and we are also cooperating with law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard.”

The cruise line said the police have cleared Carnival Conquest to sail, and the Carnival Care Team is supporting the family.

Danielle McGrath said that the MDPD and U.S. Coast Guard have been checking in with the family to offer their support, but that Carnival stopped as of (Thursday). "(To) me, personally speaking, you should be reaching out every minute. There’s so many cases where stuff gets shoved under the rug, and it's 40 years later and families still suffer."

"I haven’t eaten all day. I haven’t had a sip of anything all day," she added. "My eyes hurt from crying up and down. I’m sick to my stomach."

She said the Port St. Lucie community where she and her brother are from has been offering "a lot of love" to the family.

According to Missing People in America, founded by Army veterans, Kevin McGrath is an Army veteran and father of two. The organization, in its Facebook posting, is asking for anyone with information to come forward.

Between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 overboard incidents around the world involving passengers and crew, according to  statistics compiled for Cruise Lines International Association  by consulting firm G.P. Wild (International) Limited. Only 48 people were rescued.

Cruise ships have safeguards to prevent passengers from going overboard, and are required by the  Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010  to have rails that are "located not less than 42 inches above the cabin deck."

Cmdr. Jason Kling, Detachment Chief at the U.S. Coast Guard's Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise, which conducts compliance inspections of cruise ships embarking passengers in U.S. ports or embarking U.S. passengers, told USA TODAY in March that many cruise ships complied with that even before the law was enacted.

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Contributing: Nathan Diller, USA TODAY and staff at TCPalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE | Family of missing cruise ship passenger still waiting for answers

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The family of a missing Port St. Lucie man who disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship on Monday is speaking with Fox 4's sister station WPTV a day after the U.S. Coast Guard suspended their search.

"She pointed him out on TV and was like, 'That's my dad,'" Addison Thomas told WPTV while holding her 3-year-old daughter.

It's been five days since Thomas' two kids have heard from their dad, Kevin McGrath, 26, of Port St Lucie.

"It just hurts because it's like, I didn't have my dad much growing up, and I want her to have that experience when she gets in school," Thomas said. "I'm trying not to get too emotional about it."

McGrath's family said he was on the Carnival Conquest cruise ship that left Miami on Friday, stopped in the Bahamas over the weekend and returned to Miami on Monday.

"My family was supposed to meet for breakfast at 7:30 on the cruise ship, 7:30 in the morning," Danielle McGrath, Kevin's sister, told WPTV.

She said that's when the family first noticed Kevin was missing.

"The last time his card was used was around 3:30 in the morning, like to enter the room," Danielle said. "So anytime between then and breakfast time, he disappeared somewhere, and there's no trace of him."

Danielle told WPTV he left behind all of his belongings on the ship, including his IDs and passport.

"It was like he didn't pack up any of his belongings or anything like that," Danielle said.

🚨 #MISSING : Kevin McGrath, 26 years old, was last seen in the area of Port of Miami 1015 North America Way. The missing person may be in need of services. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477 or by dialing **TIPS. pic.twitter.com/pmAAMpgSgM — Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) September 5, 2023

In a statement released by the U.S. Coast Guard, they said, "Crews searched nearly 3,300 square nautical miles, a combined crew total of over 80 hours" before they suspended the search on Thursday.

In a statement released Thursday, the cruise line said "Our investigation continues, including multiple reviews of closed circuit video footage."

"The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," a Carnival spokesperson said in part in a statement sent to NBC 6 in Miami. "Miami-Dade Police eventually cleared the ship to sail. The Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest's family."

So, for now, Kevin's family is left with more questions than answers.

"The last time I saw him, he was in good spirits, packing for the cruise," Danielle McGrath said. "Today is the fifth day, and it just keeps making me even more and more and more miserable that we don't even know if he's even OK. Is my brother OK, is he alive?"

"Praying he's alive. Praying for the best, the best outcome," Thomas said. "I'm not trying to think of the worst, but then you have to have those what-ifs in your mind, and I don't want to think of those what-ifs."

The Miami-Dade Police Department is the lead agency investigating the case.

If you have information that could help, contact Detective M. Ritch Jr. at (305)-715-3300.

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Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Temporary channel opens for boats working on bridge response

The cargo ship struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday.

A cargo ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, causing a near-total collapse of the span and halting vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore.

Six construction workers are believed to have fallen from the collapsing bridge into the frigid waters of the Patapsco River below. The bodies of two of the victims have been recovered so far, while four remain missing and are presumed dead, officials said.

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Channel needs to be cleared more in order to recover 4 remaining victims, biden to visit bridge on friday, temporary channel opens, what to know about the collapse.

The container ship Dali struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, partially collapsing the bridge , officials in Maryland said.

A local pilot was at the helm of the ship at the time, Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said.

The crash appeared to be accidental , not intentional, officials said.

Two construction workers were rescued and six went missing in the immediate aftermath of the collapse, officials said. The bodies of two of the victims were recovered from the water on Wednesday amid ongoing search and recovery efforts, while four remain missing and are presumed dead, officials said.

Legal team for ship argues for 'limited liability' in Bridge crash

Lawyers for the Singaporean company that operates the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore say the company should have "limited liability" in the aftermath of the crash, according to court documents filed in federal court on Monday.

"The casualty was not due to any fault, neglect, or want of care on the part of Petitioners, the Vessel, or persons or entities for whose petitioners may be responsible," court documents filed in Maryland federal court say. "Alternatively, if any such faults caused or contributed to the Casualty, or to any loss or damage arising out of the casualty, which is denied, such faults were occasioned and occurred without petitioners’ privity or knowledge."

The filing seeks to minimize the financial exposure Grace Ocean Private Limited has over the crash.

It also goes into detail about how much damage the vessel sustained.

Court documents say that the vessel sustained $28 million worth of damage and had $1.7 million worth of cargo on the ship.

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Monday gave an update on his four directives in the wake of the bridge collapse.

In order to achieve his first goal -- recovering the four victims who remain missing -- Moore said there needs to be more work done to clear the channel in order to move forward.

A portion of the bridge under the water was described as "chaotic wreckage," Moore said, and the water is "so murky and so filled with debris that divers cannot see any more than a foot or two in front of them."

Every time a diver goes in the water to search for a victim, "they are taking a risk," Moore said.

The governor said he wants the recovery mission to be completed with no casualties. Six people have been killed in the bridge collapse, Moore said, adding, "I refuse to lose any more."

As for another goal -- reopening channel traffic -- the governor described the scale of the project as "enormous."

"Unified Command has scheduled another lift for later today, pending conditions -- specifically pending lightning. And they will be lifting an estimated 350-ton piece from the bridge," Moore said.

A temporary channel opened Monday to help get more vessels in the water around the site of the collapse, he said.

"The temporary channel will be marked with government lights to aid navigation and will have a controlling depth of 11 feet," Moore said.

Crews are also working on creating a second temporary channel that will measure about 15 feet deep, he said. That's expected to open "in the coming days," he said.

After more debris is cleared, crews will also work to open a third alternate channel with a depth expected around 20 to 25 feet, said Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District. No timeline for this channel is known.

President Joe Biden will visit the Baltimore bridge site on Friday, April 5, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Biden will be joined by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Jean-Pierre did not have any updates on the cost of rebuilding the bridge, repeatedly pointing back to the $60 million in emergency relief funds approved by the Biden administration to begin the recovery efforts.

"We're going to have continued conversation with the state of Maryland to get a sense of how much this is going to cost, and we have said, we are going to certainly continue to talk to Congress to get some assistance here," she said.

-ABC News' Karen Travers

A temporary channel has opened in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, but the channel is limited only to vessels working on the bridge response, the Unified Command said.

The temporary channel is a very small opening, only accessible for small boats, the Unified Command said.

The Unified Command is made up of agencies including the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland State Police.

Temporary channel opens for limited access in Baltimore bridge collapse

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

Ship 'experienced momentary loss of propulsion': Singapore’s port authority

Dali, the container ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, "experienced momentary loss of propulsion" just before the collision, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed.

The Singaporean-flagged ship underwent and passed two separate inspections in June and September 2023, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement.

"Based on records, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirms that the vessel’s required classification society and statutory certificates covering the structural integrity of the vessel and functionality of the vessel’s equipment, were valid at the time of the incident," Singapore’s port authority said.

"In the June 2023 inspection, a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before the vessel departed the port," MPA added.

-ABC News’ Laura Romero

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Baltimore Bridge Collapses After Being Struck by Cargo Ship in 'Mass Casualty' Event

The vessel struck the Francis Key Scott Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning

A bridge in Baltimore has collapsed after being hit by a large container ship. 

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in the early hours of Tuesday morning and sent several vehicles into the river, according to multiple outlets. 

Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson Kevin Cartwright told CNN that the collapse was a "mass casualty multi agency incident.”

“This is a dire emergency,” Cartwright told the Associated Press . “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”

Rescue workers are searching for up to 20 people, according to CNN. "Unfortunately, we understand that there are up to 20 individuals who may be in the Patapsco River as well as multiple vehicles," Cartwright told the outlet.

Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday morning, Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace said two people had been rescued from the water, per CNN. One of the individuals was uninjured, while the second was transferred to the hospital in a "very serious condition."

JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Wallace added that authorities are continuing to search for upwards of seven people. “We are still very much in an active search and rescue posture at this point, and we will continue to be for some time,” Wallace said, per the outlet.

Fire dept. spokesperson Cartwright told WTOP that at least seven vehicles had fallen into the river and a dive team had been deployed to help rescue those in the water.

Cartwright also told CNN that conditions were "unsafe" for rescuers due to "some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge" following the collision with the 900-ft cargo ship.

In footage shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS, a large portion of the bridge, which opened in 1977, can be seen collapsing into the water.

The ship caught fire after the incident, according to AP, and black smoke was seen billowing out of it.

Harford County Md Fire & EMS PIO Media Page/Facebook

According to MarineTraffic , a ship-tracking company, per ABC News , the container ship was a Singapore-flagged vessel and struck the bridge at around 1:30 a.m. local time. It was heading to Sri Lanka, according to the tracker.

The bridge — part of the Interstate 6-95 — is a major artery for the people of Baltimore, which has the 9th-largest port in the U.S., with more than 12 million cars crossing over the four-lane bridge last year, Good Morning America reported.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott said in a post shared on X shortly after the incident, "I'm aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge. I have been in contact with @BaltimoreFire Chief Wallace, @GovWesMoore @JohnnyOJr, and @AACoExec. Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway."

In a statement shared on X, Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a "state of emergency" in Baltimore shortly before 5:45 a.m. local time.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "We are working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration," the statement read in part. "We are thankful for the brave men and women who are carrying out efforts to rescue those involved and pray for everyone’s safety."

"We will remain in close contact with federal, state, and local entities that are carrying out rescue efforts as we continue to assess and respond to this tragedy," the statement concluded.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Baltimore City Fire Department, the Baltimore Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard for additional information.

This is a breaking news situation. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Related Articles

Port of Baltimore-bound cruise ship changes course to Norfolk

BALTIMORE — Royal Caribbean is the latest cruise line to change course due to the closure of the Port of Baltimore.

The port’s Cruise Maryland Terminal is inaccessible because it’s blocked by the remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River after being rammed into by a massive container ship early Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson Royal Caribbean said Thursday that a ship that departed from Baltimore on March 23 and was scheduled to return April 4 will now conclude its journey in Norfolk, Virginia, instead.

Carnival Cruise announced a similar reroute Tuesday. In both cases, the companies have offered passengers free bus rides back to Baltimore.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association, Baltimore is the nation’s 29th busiest port for cruise ships, moving about 378,000 passengers annually. Twelve ships were scheduled to dock at the port 115 times during 2024, the association said.

Baltimore’s cruise terminal is home to four cruise lines: Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and American Cruises.

©2024 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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• ‘9-1-1’ Renewed For Eighth Season By ABC

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9-1-1 has been renewed for an eighth season by ABC .

The season seven premiere of 9-1-1 in March delivered a cumulative audience of 11.76 million total viewers within the first seven days, and marked the series’ highest-rated multiplatform telecast in nearly two years in Adults 18-49. It paid homage to the disaster thriller  The Poseidon   Adventure .

The drama stands as ABC’s most-watched current series across all platforms this season.

9-1-1 moved to ABC after six seasons on Fox, where it was consistently one of the highest-rated shows. It now fits nicely into ABC’s Thursday lineup with  Grey’s Anatomy  and  Station 19 , both of which do well for for the Disney-owned broadcaster . This week’s new episode will mark the series’ 100th episode.  

Murphy now has two series on ABC after he sold Dr. Odyssey with Joshua Jackson . As the title suggests,  Dr. Odyssey  is believed to be a medical procedural that takes place on a cruise ship.

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