Newlywed's Disappearance on Cruise Probed

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | July 27, 2005 | JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN

[sarasota]

Same here. If I'd heard a "huge thud", my curiosity would have literally propelled me outside to have a look. But perhaps the arguing and loud voices that preceded it made people afraid? At least they could have reported it but, in view of the clean-up crew that went out to swab the deck/awning, that would have been unlikely to give any result.

[sarasota]

Perhaps he won the $50 at the tables and bragged about it. The furniture moving may have been to get at the safe. The guy was murdered, that's not the question. The questions is, who did it? There was some talk on Scarborough about the four men who were questioned. According to a report I read somewhere, they are now suing the cruise line for a number of reasons.

[SunnySide]

The night Smith disappeared, Hyman said he heard what sounded like a loud party in Smith's room, then "some very loud arguing out on the balcony."
He said he heard several male voices and then noises in the cabin that sounded like furniture being moved. Then, he said, he heard a "horrific thud."
O'Connor wouldn't comment Tuesday on Hyman's account.
...........................


I think people like this Hyman character are imbeciles for not contacting the proper ship authorities as he heard the disturbance happening. If I heard or witnessed something appearing harmful I would!

[Eva]

Yeah, but my husband used to do business down there in Curaco (the next island over from Aruba, but basicly the same type of place)and the shipping agent that he was working with warned him not to go out by himself after dark and to never take a cab outside the city limits after dark. The agent said that it just wasn't safe. Aruba can't be any different.

[HitmanLV]

What's the difference between a normal thud and a horrific thud?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

You know. I was wondering that myself.

The very word "thud" doesn't exactly illicit alarm.

[spectre]

Oh boy! This case will have all the intrigue of a classic who done it at sea.

We'll have drug deals, gambling debts, group sex and God only knows what else before long.

I'm still waiting for the Bride to claim she must have been slipped a "date rape" drug, because she has total amnesia of ever going to bed. That might work :)

This one is going to be fun, fun..fun :)

sw

[SunnySide]

What's the difference between a normal thud and a horrific thud?



Elmer Thud?

[WestCoastGal]

Sounds like a wild cruise!!!


Cruising The Med: Setting The Record Straight
Shortly after I posted this entry I received an email from someone claiming to be a close friend of the guys at the heart of the both the rape allegations and the disappearance of George Smith. He wanted to sort out what was truth from what was rumored, and to make a few things quite clear. While I have no way to verify the veracity of his claims and to verify if he is indeed a friend of these guys we witnessed being offboarded, I also have no reason to believe he is lying.

I did ask if I could post their side of the story as he told it to me, and he agreed.

"Let me try to clear this up for you, 3 of those guys are my very close friends. Two brothers and my best friend, the other two involved were a cousin of the brothers and the other was some guy from california"

" When my friends called me from Turkey to tell me about being questioned in the murder of George Smith, I thought they were joking because I know these guys very well, they are not at all capable of murder. They were probably one of the last people to see George
alive, they walked him to his room after his wife was seen leaving with one of the employees from the casino.. ."

" George was very drunk and asked the guys to help him to his room. They walked him to his room, not really walked, more like carried him. They helped him get his shoes off and laid him down in his bed and left to go back to their own cabins. There was no one else present at the moment they left George's cabin. His wife was nowhere to be found and the room was in order. Whatever happened to George occured after the guys left. They were awoken the next morning by security and they were all hung over and didnt understand what was going on because they helped him to his room and went to sleep" .

He went on to agree that no doubt his friends were probably loud and obnxious and drunk, but they are all between 17-20 and they were simply having a good time as guys that age are known to do.

He stressed several times that there was never a rape. While they did indulge in sex with this one girl it was mutual and voluntary on her part. She told them she was 18. They did indeed videotape the encounter, and it would seem that the tape also served to exonerate them of all charges, which according to his friends, she never made. She never laid any charges or made any allegations of rape against the guys involved .."....the cruise line charged them without any proof. Anyways, the girl never came forward and said she was raped. She was talking to people about how she was f***ing around and was taped.....she knew it was there. Anyways, the girl didnt come forward to charge them, the cruiseline did that..."

Now I must admit...it seems very strange to me for any cruise ship to charge anyone with rape without allegations from the victim....but he reiterated that while he cannot explain their reason for doing so, they did.

When I mentioned that neither the FBI nor the Cruise Line have called George's disappearance a murder, but simply said he may have fallen overboard, he replied"The ship may have said man overboard but my friends were questioned in regards to a murder. They were the last people to see him. We're from New York, we meet people all the time and we drink with them and we're loud and out there but we know how to have a good time. From the accounts of my friends, George was a fun guy who was having a good time with them pounding out shots while his wife was running around with her panties around her ankles. It's a very unfortunate incident. My friends were exonerated and yes that does not negate the fact that they were accused but they were not charged with anything and so far no further legal action is being taken against them"

He went on to say that no other women had come forth with rape allegations against them.
" and the other girls who came forward weren't in regards to my friends, they only partied with that one girl. ...I may have not been on the ship but I have heard the real story from people that were involved and the people who I trust most and know for over 10 years.
They're cleared of everything and now the cruise line will be sued because they illegally searached their rooms, and removed contents without warning or notification and had no evidence to go on. Lets not even get into the lawyers fees, hotels fees after getting kicked off the ship and mental distress."

I asked him to clarify one point regarding receiving a call from Turkey since I saw them being off boarded in Naples.

"They called me from Turkey because they were taken to a Turkish Police station for questioning, Apparently that night they were not allowed to leave their cabin, they said there were 2 guards outside their rooms. I don't know if they're serious but they said the couldn't go out of the room until they were cleared of suspicion. They were offboarded inNaples after they were exonerate of the rape charges".LINK

[Cincinatus' Wife]

......This one is going to be fun, fun..fun :)

How can Greta gracefully abandon the Holloway family?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

This will be one to tell the grandkids.

[SunnySide]

"they walked him to his room after his wife was seen leaving with one of the employees from the casino.. ."

Wife seen leaving casino with casino employee, Why? Later not in husbands cabin....???? Sumthin strange with her where abouts. What's her alibi?

[WestCoastGal]

After reading these accounts and following the Natalee ordeal I'm pretty sure I am not going to the islands or cruising any time soon.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I hear ya.

[WestCoastGal]

"Wife seen leaving casino with casino employee, Why? Later not in husbands cabin....???? Sumthin strange with her where abouts. What's her alibi? "

I've seen two scenarios that she was asleep, one in a deck chair and the other in the room. The room, which by the way, was where all the loud yelling was. I guess if you're passed out drunk you wouldn't hear that.

Although, she could have been anywhere as I don't think anyone has come forward who says they saw her after she left the casino/bar.

Alcohol, the downfall of those who can't control it.

[spectre]

"How can Greta gracefully abandon the Holloway family?"

Hummm? Greta could tell them she is going on a Working Cruise.

OR.."the number you have reached is no longer in service..please be sure"..blah, blah..blah"..

sw

[Trust but Verify]

Well, if you don't get drunk off your ass and take up with another passenger or crew member while you're on YOUR HONEYMOON, you don't have anything to worry about. My husband and I have cruised numerous times. We've taken our kids along twice. We've never had one iota of problem and have never felt unsafe in the least.

Isn't it funny how the people who don't attend to their personal safety by getting drunk or drugged up are the only ones who have problems?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

LOL

[SunnySide]

"Isn't it funny how the people who don't attend to their personal safety by getting drunk or drugged up are the only ones who have problems?"

yeah I was going to point that out to. People carelessly assume that when they go outside America it's a free for all and throw caution into the wind. I'd say those who are intent on getting sloshed or stoned during their vacation better be warned of the likely negative outcomes. A couple of times I couldn't go with friends to Mexico or Florida for college spring vacation breaks due to timing or finance conflicts. Both times were blessing in disguises from the miserable stories my friends described of their drunk enduced encounters. Ruined their fantasy get aways each time.

[SunnySide]

I'm still curious why she left the casino with an employee? Wasn't she on her honeymoon?