Posted on 07/27/2005 11:19:53 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
STAMFORD, Conn. — The night a newlywed vanished from his honeymoon cruise, the sounds of a loud party were coming from his stateroom, followed by male voices arguing on the balcony and then a "horrific thud," a fellow passenger says.
The ship was in the Mediterranean Sea when Connecticut resident George Smith IV disappeared more than three weeks ago.
No one has been charged, but Connecticut's top federal prosecutor said Tuesday that the 26-year-old's disappearance is being aggressively investigated and reports of blood on the ship raise concerns. The comments are the first by a U.S. prosecutor on the case and the strongest indication yet that officials suspect foul play.
"We think the circumstances are unique enough and suspicious enough that a thorough investigation is warranted," U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor told The Associated Press.
O'Connor said investigators were still interviewing passengers and staff from the ship, and he declined to discuss details of the investigation.
Turkish prosecutor told the AP last week that Smith's new wife, Jennifer Hagel, was not suspected in her husband's disappearance.
The couple had been drinking and gambling at the ship's casino that night, the prosecutor said. The next morning, he said, Hagel woke up and went to the gym. Smith was reported missing after cleaners found blood in their cabin. There was also blood on the balcony and a hand print on the side of the ship, the prosecutor said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Clete Hyman, a passenger in a neighboring stateroom, described what he heard during the cruise in an interview Monday night on MSNBC's "Scarborough Country."
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.
Smith's and Hagel's families, who live in Connecticut, have not publicly commented and did not return phone messages.
Turkish authorities handled the case after the disappearance was reported July 5 when the ship docked at Kusadasi, a resort area in the Aegean region of Turkey. U.S. officials were given the case last week.
Note to self...dont take a cruise in the Muslim war zone
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/scn-gt-georgeallensmith,0,3152742.storygallery?coll=stam-main-utility
Local paper link to all archived stories on the disappearance.
"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."
I've heard 3 different versions, one in a deck chair, one passed out in the spa and the third passed out on a different deck from where their room was located.
I don't know, but reports that she was blasted may have prompted the employee to escort her back to her room or........??
Did I hear correctly that Beth Holloway has returned home?
Yes, Beth & Jug are back in AL.
Beth says she's not going back
unless "something comes up."
Dave Holloway's in Aruba & he's
searching w/the teams.
I took some time off from Natalee and this came as a surprise. I think Beth has realized that they're getting the run-around. And so have I. Bummer. Nice to see you here, Deejay.
I hear ya. I have weaned myself from the
thread b/c that thing went south long ago.
Only places left to search is Caracas! LOL
Not anudder one!
If his bride kicked him in the family jewels (drunk or sober), what does that tell us about her?
Have you heard the speculation that the bride's ex boyfriend was on the same cruise? That is extremely odd if true. Also, her father is a retired police officer which might explain why they are saying much.
Her father is a retired cop? He must be advising her on keeping her mouth shut. Is he also telling her "No body, no case", like the father of the boy in Aruba who (allegedly) killed Natalee Holloway? The Van der Sloot father is a judge.
From time immemorial, bad sons of law enforcement personnel have been getting away with murder. Bad daughters, too.
I suspect that scenario in this missing new husband of Little Miss Kick-in-the-Balls.
This will fodder for months for Greta Von Nosejob.
Father a cop; Grandpa an attorney. This gal is connected:
Bright futures end abruptly on honeymoon cruise
Associated Press
Jul. 13, 2005 12:40 PM
GREENWICH, Conn. - George Smith IV embarked on his honeymoon cruise of the Mediterranean last month with plans to have children and take over his family's successful business in this wealthy New York suburb.
He and Jennifer Hagel had just been married in an idyllic ceremony at a waterfront resort in Newport, R.I., as a cool breeze blew in from Narragansett Bay and a bagpiper wailed in the distance. Nearly 150 guests attended the wedding.
"It was a glorious, gorgeous day," said the Rev. James Gibney, who officiated. "They're both sweet kids." advertisement
But on July 5, less than a week into the honeymoon, out on the sea somewhere between Greece and Turkey, Smith, 26, vanished.
The couple had been drinking heavily and gambling at the ship's casino before his disappearance, an official from the Kusadasi prosecutor's office in Turkey, told the Associated Press Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hagel woke up the next morning and went to the gym, not noticing anything was amiss, he said. Smith was reported missing after cleaners found blood stains in the cabin and alerted the ship's captain, he said.
The official said the woman appeared not to know what had become of her husband. She was released after being questioned by authorities and returned to Connecticut.
"We don't know if it is murder or not. He may have fallen over by himself, he may have fought with someone from the casino, we don't know," the official said.
Neither family has talked to the media. Gibney said he spoke to Hagel's father last week after Smith disappeared.
"What he told me was that George was missing off the balcony of their room," Gibney said. "No one heard anything. No one saw anything. I broke down when I heard about it."
Smith, whose great grandfather of the same name was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, played football at Greenwich High School. He planned to take over his parent's liquor store, the oldest one in wealthy Greenwich, and use his Internet marketing background to bolster the business, Gibney said.
Hagel, 25, came from Cromwell, where her grandfather was the town's attorney and her father was a retired police sergeant who runs a construction business.
Searches by police divers and Greek Coast Guard helicopters turned up nothing. The four-day search was suspended Saturday.
Cruise officials said earlier in the week there was an indication Smith may have fallen overboard.
Officials had not determined if that was the case, and were working with the FBI and international authorities to continue the investigation.
I also heard the groom's family hasn't given DNA samples to the Turkish authorities. Isn't that odd? Stark contrast to Natalee's family!
Very strange. Both families know what's up.
A profiler said the same thing. Look at the wife.
This is a story that will stay under wraps as long as the family police officer and attorney are at the helm. The media sleuths will be on this to try to "break" it.
I thought Greta just had her eyes done (and hair).
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