Their son, Michael Pham, testified before Congress to urge tougher regulation of safety practices on cruise lines. The couple, who had been married for 49 years, mysteriously vanished while on the Carnival Cruise Line ship. Thanks, Sherry. This story has been shared 641,155 times. Daniel Kueblboeck, a German pop star, was famous for a short time on the talent show Germany Seeks the Superstar. On April 6, 2011, John Halford went missing while aboard Thomson Cruises Thomson Spirit. Since 2000, nearly 300 people have gone overboard from cruise ships and ferries, according to data collected by Ross Klein, a professor in the School of Social Work at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, who tracks operational incidents involving cruise ships. He had recently broken up with his long-term girlfriend, Vanessa, and had just moved into a new apartment in Granada Hills, California. An average of ten Americans disappear from cruise ships every year. Ramiz alerted the crew about her disappearance shortly after arriving at port. She flew from Boston to Seattle where she boarded an Alaskan cruise operated by C. Wow, this is incredibly crazy on a number of levels not the least of which is the way that cruise ships operate with impunity and no sense for the safety of their passengers. They had not realized she had gone on a cruise. She boarded the vessel in Seattle, Washington on August 27. English He took her body to a place he could hide it to dispose of it later. Yes, its safe to assume those were not her remains, as its never been confirmed. We did obtain documents written by Cruise Line employees setting up the cover-up of any information concerning our daughters case. What a frustrating story. I would be surprised if her case was not discussed here before: In August, 2004, Merrian, 40, mother of 13 years old daughter, from Massachusetts, boarded Celebrity Cruises ship from Seattle to Alaska. The supervisor said, Just forget it, and do your job. The attendant did as she was told, although nobody ever used the room. Here are 10 times that people mysteriously disappeared from cruise ships. Hundreds of books have been written about Disney and the odd practices at their theme parks where they go to great lengths cover up medical episodes that are not their fault because they dont want to alarm people. Whatever happened, sadly, I believe unless there is a witness out there that would come forward (someone by any chance saw somwthing), then what actually happened won't be solved. The law was inspired by Merrian Carver and other individuals who had been injured, died or disappeared while on a cruise ship. They truly are the wild west. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Merrian Lynn Carver I found on Findagrave.com. She left her personal belongings, including clothing, behind in her cabin on the ship when she disappeared.The cruise line did not report Carver's disappearance until they heard from her father. Thanks for contacting us. Unable to each her for several days, her father Kendall found out his daughter was booked on a cruise to Alaska and phoned the line. Failed to delete flower. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. In the United States, Florida is currently the only state that permits local, state and harbor police to board a cruise ship to investigate crimes on vessels that have docked in the state, Walker said. Such a tragedy that these crimes (I believe it WAS a crime) can be covered up so easily, leaving no closure or justice for the families. The Disappearance of Merrian Carver Trace Evidence The lengths theyll go to are really shocking, even when its one of their own staff members who vanishes. Your email address will not be published. Suicidal people are not thinking clearly. There was an error deleting this problem. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Frightening. More questions than answers from my end as well! Thats terrible that the cruise line basically covered it up. A spokesman for Carnival Corporation said the company was testing man-overboard technology, but argued current systems create too many false positives for it to be practical or effective. We have set your language to Why? Thanks so much, Cat. Its so sad, and I also dont think she would have left her daughter. He remains in the Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau awaiting a May 2019 trial, according to Chloe Martin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office. She was single (divorced), independent and spontaneous, she would often leave for few days to as to say, clear her head. Some articles I read said there were able to track the use of Merrian's debit/credit card and make connection to the ship. Thats why she never said a word to anyone about he going in a cruise. He found that she boarded the cruise ship while her daughter was staying with her ex-husband and vanished just two days into the voyage. His reaction does seem strange. Her Steward reported her missing for 5 days to his supervisor and was told to "just do your job and forget it" At the end of the cruise, Cruise line officials simply boxed up her belongings and even disposed of most of her items. Listen to this episode from Criminal Curiosity on Spotify. But now I am that much less likely to ever subject myself to that pleasure. Though, I now think its a great setting for a thriller novel. I havent read any comments so maybe others already brought up this theory. But though a crew member noticed her disappearance, he was told to keep quiet. However, she did threaten to harm herself previously, right after her divorce. MoncrieffWebsite By Elise Epp Design and Amanda Weber. Im sure Someone else theorized this. Her poor dad. Merrian Carver, a 40 year old woman, disappeared from a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska in August of 2004. The 63-year-old man disappeared while on a holiday cruise in Egypt. Merrian Carver, a 40 year old woman, disappeared from a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska in August of 2004. Cruise lines are notorious for covering up crimes and cases of negligence to avoid getting sued (or having their ship docked for weeks due to a crime-scene investigation). Unfortunately, when Merrians marriage ended in divorce in 2000 and she lost custody of her daughter, she sank into a deep depression and threatened suicide. Maybe the supervisor steward thought he may get into trouble having to report a suicide. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Days later, they filed a missing person report with police in Massachusetts, and it was weeks before police came upon a credit-card transaction showing she had gone on the cruise, said Kendall Carver, Merrians father. Theyre floating petri dishes at the best of times. For the past several years Merrian has resided in Cambridge, Massachusetts. People Who Went Missing At Sea - Grunge The 33-year-old was aboard an AIDA Cruises ship for a holiday from Hamburg to New York when he went missing. She doesn't tell her family or her daughter. That was a poor quality picture of Merrian getting on the boat. One thing I learned from Cruise Ship Killers: never use the casino, or tell people youre going to the washroom. Killer Buck Walker | Public Domain In 1977, three years after the murder but three years before the discovery of the body, Amanda Lane and four . For small ships carrying more than 150 passengers or with overnight accommodations for 50 or more passengers engaging in excursions, rails on passenger decks must only be at least 39.5 inches high. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Her father reported her missing to the authorities on the cruise line, and the ship docked at Curacao, Antilles.[1]. Royal Caribbean confirmed that Merrian had boarded the ship but had not used her cabin after the second night. Our team of lawyers has over a century of combined experience, has successfully handled over 3,000 cases, and has recovered over 300 million dollars in damages for our clients. In 2015, more than 23 million passengers traveled on cruise ships worldwide, representing an increase of nearly 62 percent over a 10-year period, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. There are other explanations for that, though. Other contributing factors Klein cited were a fight with a significant other, a loss at the casino and falls. There was also an envelope which may have included a suicide note. Integrity First, Compassion, and Excellence in All We Do. She was last seen when the ship was around 48 kilometers (30 mi) off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico. They might have erased the surveillance tapes when they saw the crime. Learn more about merges. The requirement is still more stringent than federal regulation for other commercial passenger vessels, McGarry said. I am just re-visiting the case looking for info. She embarked upon a seven-day cruise from Seattle, Washington to Alaska. That doesnt explain why the steward who was concerned for her was told to keep his mouth shut, or why her belongings were disposed of and her family was not notified. Host & creator of the true crime podcast Criminal Curiosity. Since many of these types of disappearances involve passengers going overboard, vessel operators must act fast once the news of the missing person is reported and must return to the area where the victim was last seen. Also, its the way these incidents tend to be handled that is of even greater concern. Everyone would assume she went overboard. The captain of the ship waited about three hours before finally turning around and dropping rescue boats to search for Mizener. Eventually, the family hired private investigators to conduct their own search, and later hired lawyers to depose members of the cruises staff. I also thought it odd that she brought so few things or that the cabin steward knew what she brought, its kind of creepy that he looked in her closet long enough to take inventory. Her cabin is only a short distance from an open-air deck.Carver had threatened to harm herself after her divorce several years prior to her disappearance, but her family does not believe she took her own life. That was the situation with Merrian Carver. Internationally and Nationally Recognized. Once the Cruise line was contacted, it took them 3 days to confirm she had been on the cruise, 26 days after she had disappeared. Since we could not really determine what happened we hired. Its a shame and I am shocked by how many disappearances occur on cruise ships. Merrian Carver was 40 when she disappeared on the second night of the seven-day cruise in August 2004. Do I know what happened to Merrian? he said, according to ABC. Given the last minute cruise reservation, one outfit, the divorce and losing custody of her daughter, I believe Merriam committed suicide. However, Merrian was never seen again. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Merrian Lynn lived in Boston, Massachusetts in 2004. How did they come to the conclusion that if she jumped, it would have been done in her underwear? Carvers living hell was about to begin. This report only found 150 incidents of people going overboard between 2009 and 2016, nearly 30 fewer cases than Klein recorded during that time span. The employees who dispose of her possessions were said to be fired, because according to cruise lines internal protocol, they should have contacted security office first. Add to your scrapbook.