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.
"His wife didn't notice the blood in the cabin when she woke up? That plus the fact her hubby wasn't in bed w/her might have given her a clue something was wrong...but maybe that's just me."
No, it's not just you.
This was supposed to be a honeymoon. I don't know ... on my honeymoon, we slept late, breakfast in bed ...
I WOULD HAVE NOTICED IF HE WASN'T IN BED!
Is seems the wife woke up the next morning & went to workout, not even noticing that her newlywed husband was not in the bed.
Also, last night Joe showed a photograph taken by another passenger on the ship. The photo showed a huge amount of blood (even a small puddle) on the awning below the couple's cabin.
hmmmmmmm....that doesn't make much sense, does it?.....maybe it wasn't the wife's voice he heard....has the wife stated anything publicly?
I haven't heard any comments from the wife. At the time of the Scarborough interview neither Hyman nor the photo-taker had been contacted by the FBI or anyone else. Joe indicatd that the cruise line & others were trying to cover this up & there was no real investigation going on.
Tourism is a zero sum game. Any money not spent there will be spent somewhere else. Every dollar not spent overseas will be spent in the US.
People say a lot of things but if they had a chance to go on a cruise or visit Aruba, they'd most likely go.
***
Yeah, maybe you're right. I know if I had the opportunity to cruise or visit Aruba or any of a number of other places that have gotten a bum rap lately, I'd go. My exceptions would be Mexico, the Middle East and anywhere else on the State Department list.
I kept wanting to find out if the covering was solid, or a softer tarp-like covering. If it was hard then I assume the blood could have come from the fall, but if it was a tarp or soft cover it seems like he would must have been stabbed or had a gash on the head or something before he fell/was pushed. There was enough blood to form a puddle.
Since there was such a loud party that a neighbor heard, what was the wife doing in the next room that she couldn't be roused to go see what was happening, especially to her beloved newlywed hubby? Was she drunkenly passed out, on a drug binge or having sex with someone else?
I saw it reported on TV a couple of weeks ago. I can't remember where -- one of those hour long weeknight news shows like Primetime or 20/20. It was about a 20 minute segment, and contained everything in the above article except the statement from the passenger in the neighboring cabin. But then it went cold, with absolutely no more news on the situation until now. I can't imagine that the wife wouldn't know ANYTHING.
That's reasonable.
And beyond that, we just don't know when our number is going to come, be it in our bathroom or on an exotic vacation.
I think about those Boy Scout leaders and it makes me more aware of living in the now.
Tourism is a zero sum game. Any money not spent there will be spent somewhere else. Every dollar not spent overseas will be spent in the US.
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But then it also affects those in the U.S. too affiliated with the industry - booking agents, cruise line representatives and the like. The companies dissolve here and people are out of work.
It is odd but they don't consider her a suspect.
Go figure.
I wonder what his life insurance and/or financial portfolio looks like.
If she is grieving. I wish her the best. But.....
By the time most brides get to their honeymoon, the hyman's been WAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYy gone!
And beyond that, we just don't know when our number is going to come, be it in our bathroom or on an exotic vacation.
***
Exactly. Even after 9-11, I refused to be afraid to travel. I had a trip already planned for October of that year, and I told my traveling companion if she was too scared to fly, she could stay home, but I was still going. We both went and had a good time. I refuse to cower in a corner because something "might" happen.
I feel bad for those scout leaders. Tragic. But being a Scout leader involves loving what you do. Would that we could all be called by our Maker doing something we love.
The whole story is just strange.
Just hitting the media? You obviously haven't been watching the "All Disappearances, All The Time"-Fox News Network.
Just call me old-fashioned!
He does require a barrel of moustache wax before he'll take the case.
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