Lynsey O’Brien Missing from Cruise Ship
Lynsey O’Brien, from South Dublin is missing from a cruise ship during her family’s vacation in the Caribbean.
It is feared Lynsey O’Brien, from South Dublin, has drowned after she disappeared while on a family holiday in the Caribbean.
A family member raised the alarm on Thursday morning after the 15-year-old was discovered missing from her cabin.
Update: Irish teen vanishes from cruise ship on trip from Port Everglades to Mexico
The passenger, who was traveling with her family, was aboard the cruise ship Costa Magica, which left Fort Lauderdale on New Year’s Day for a weeklong Western Caribbean itinerary. It is due back on Jan. 8.
At about 2 a.m. EST Thursday, as the ship was making its way toward Cozumel, Mexico, the teenager was reported to have disappeared. “We have a full investigation going on,” said Lynn Torrent, president of Costa Cruise Lines.
At least in this case the cruise ship did the right thing and circled the area until further help was provided.
The cruise ship then circled the area until Mexican Navy vessels arrived to aid in the search. The cruise line said the ship’s staff is trying to console the parents. “They’re devastated,” Torrent said.
The search continues for Lynsey O’Brien who reportedly fell overboard.
A search operation is continuing off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula for an Irish teenager who fell overboard from a cruise ship in the early hours of yesterday morning.
It is understood Ms O’Brien was on the top deck of the ship with her 11-year-old sister, Imelda, when she fell overboard. Her sister then alerted her parents and a search was initiated.
Schoolmates distraught as cruise girl disappears
Distraught classmates of an Irish teenager missing from a cruise ship in the Caribbean were gathering at her school today to comfort each other.
Lynsey O’Brien, from south Dublin, is feared drowned after she disappeared early yesterday while on a family holiday.
Students were coming in to the school this morning to offer comfort to Lynsey’s classmates, Ms Cogan said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said Irish Embassy staff in Mexico were offering consular assistance to the family of a girl who had disappeared from the boat.
Update (1/7/06): Mexican navy combs Caribbean for missing Irish girl
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican navy rescuers combed waters off the country’s Yucatan peninsula in boats and helicopters on Saturday for an Irish girl thought to have fallen off a cruise ship, authorities said.
The cruise ship, operated by Carnival Corp., was off Mexico’s Islas Mujeres islands when the teenager fell overboard in the early hours of Thursday, said Mexican navy officer Genaro Escalante.
He said bad weather had hampered the search.
“They haven’t found anything yet but the search continues,” he said. “The wind has been very strong.”
[...] It is feared Lynsey O’Brien, from South Dublin, has drowned after she disappeared while on a family holiday in the Caribbean. (Full story) [...]
Pingback by Missing Persons in the News » Scared Monkeys | January 7, 2006
I doubt this story will get much coverage in the American media frankly because the victim ain’t one of us (an American). I feel for the poor girl’s family and don’t think for one minute that the Mexican government is any better than Aruba’s:
http://www.justiceforkirsty.org/
Comment by BettyJean | January 8, 2006
My cousin was on that ship when it happened. The Mexican Navy did all they could with what they had. She fell from the 11th deck and the water this time of the year is cold. I feel very sorry for the family.
Comment by Katie | January 9, 2006
I was on the ship this past week when Lynsey disappeared and i feel for the family. Being so helpless had to be so horrible. I have three kids and when the captain said a family member had went overboard i just lost it. I cant imagine what that family had to have been going through. I wish there would have been anything any of us could have done for them. My son is 15 and he was very effected by this. He was in the hall when the father was screaming and he will never forget that. I just wanted to send my prayers to the family and offer any support i might be able to give.
Comment by Kim | January 12, 2006
I was also on the ship when Lynsey went overboard. We believe that it happened from our deck. There was a lot of fighting in the room next to us and 3 different cabins called for security to come two different times after midnight. There was a girl screaming and she did not seem like a rational person! An hour later was when we heard a woman screaming in the hall that ‘she jumped’. The cruise ship basically did nothing! One man from security came and left within seconds when we called! I sat on my balcony all night thinking that some other boats or helicopters would come and they did not! That ship was the only thing in those waters for 9 hrs! I’m outraged that something like this could happen and no one comes to help! The ocean was very calm and serene that night. We tried talking to the Guest relations about what we heard and they didn’t want to talk to us. My kids and our friends 3 kids also heard the screams and are very affected by it! It seemed like a big cover up on the parts of the cruise lines! Our kids heard the kids in the cabin next to us talking the next day and they said that it was the cruise lines fault because they should not have served a 15 yr old alcohol! They also said that she was vomiting and leaned over the railing and fell, and they thought she hit a lifeboat and they ran down to see if she was on it. It all adds up to all the comotion we heard and all the running in the halls and up and down the stairs as we were right where the evelator and stairway was. It was a night mare cruise!! And no one on the ship cared about what we heard and saw!! Some investigation!! Our hearts and prayers go out to the family! I can’t imagine going through anything worse.
Comment by Lori | January 13, 2006
i wud just like 2 say that the water was actually warm and calm, she was one of my friends and rumours being spread around (no matter how big or small) are not true. And the search was not started until a while after the ship was alerted,also the boat did not slow down until they were roughly 5 or 6 miles away from where she fell.
Thank you for your prayers. xxx
Comment by me | March 7, 2006
Dear editor,
I am a documentary maker for the national TV and radio station, RTE, in Ireland. I am particularly interested in pursuing the story of the irish teenager Lynsey O’ brien. I am only in the very early stages of looking at this but I wonder would it be possible to put me in contact with two of your e mailers. Katie who mailed you at 8.24pm and Kim who contacted the website on jan 12th at 12.59am.
Perhaps you could mail me on my above work email address and let me know? Please feel free to pass on my details to both those people.
I would be very grateful for any help.
Kind regards,
Ann-marie Power
Comment by Ann-marie power | March 13, 2006
i am just totally outraged that parents would not know where their 15 year old child was at that time of the night – did they actually expect that the fare for the passage actually included babysitting services??? whether they were at home or somewhere else – what were they thinking?? – our children (and grandchildren in my case) are the most precious gifts we have and should be treated as such
Comment by diane morgan | March 25, 2006
My prayers and thaughts to the family of Lyndsey.I did some work on that ship at that time.For some time working with different cruise lines,I would notice the way kids behave on cruise ship and people in general.If we really need to tackle this problem,we should then lay the cards on the table and stop running around the bush.Most kids drink a lot on cruise ships and use fake id’s.Some parents even know about it.In fact some parents even buy liquor for their under age teens.This is when something goes wrong that everybody will try to find someone to blame.This won’t help.Parents need to take full responsibility of their children’s being while on cruise ships,make sure that the kids maintain discipline.Honestly the cruise employees can only do so much.These accidents will continue because the attention is only on what did the cruise line do wrong,and not on how could everybody had prevented it from happening.I challenge the parents especially to have the best interest of their children’s well being at heart,because they are the ones ending up losing so much,really.The next time you go on a cruise,don’t feel comfortable having your kid out of sight for a period of time,especially in the night when the disco and all that is going on.Don’t go to bed without knowing that your kids are safe and sober,or at least under proper supervision.
I hope this will help someone in the future and prevent more tragic accidents like this
Thank you
Comment by Joe | March 26, 2006
When I watched the O’Reilly Factor tonight and saw this story, it sickened me…that bartender HAD to know she wasnt of age to drink…
-Tell your state senators to pass JESSICA’S LAW!!!!!
Comment by Patrick M. Walsh | April 15, 2006
i agree with u patrick. Lynsey didnt look a day over 15,there is no possible way he thought she was 21!even if she had an id which i doubt she did!the whole idea of the boarding cards the passangers got was that theyd “never need 2 carry a wallet” because everything is put onto that card,and thats your form of id!so unles the ship gave Lynsey an over 21′s card then he served her knowing she wasnt old enough!
Comment by Lynz' friend | April 29, 2006
DIANE MORGAN! Lynseys family put their trust in the staff of that cruise ship, not to babysit their child. but to obey the law and not serve a fifteen year old girl alcohol. you can feel out raged all you like, but if one of your “precious little gifts” had been in Lynseys shoes, you wouldn’t feel that way! sympathy would be more appropriate than ignorant insults!
Comment by lynseys friend | June 7, 2006
i have to completley agree! diane morgan ur seriosuly twisted in ur head!!!!!! how cud u actually thinking in such a callous way! blaming her parents for what hapened!!!!! thats just cruel!! seriosuly wat wud u be saying if u had of been the o’briens and one of ur “little precious gifts” got into that situation i’m sure u wouldn’t take to kindly to complete strangers accusing u of being at fault! wat rite do u have to come on here and judge them like that!
Comment by a friend of the girl hu left the last comment | June 11, 2006
Diane morgan u cruel ignorant granny! ur too senile to know what your talking about. Lynsey was so loved and still is. you have no right to acuse the O’Briens of anything! Lynsey was such an angel, she didn’t deserve that. the OBriens didn’t deserve to loose her. and they didnt deserve that harsh comment! u senile cow! go crawl under a rock! and stay there!
Comment by I love Lynsey | June 13, 2006
I canot believe that somebody could be so ignorant as to blame lynseys parents. The O Briens and my own family are close friends, and if I had to label Paul and Sandra O Brien (her parents) I would say they were even over protective. Lynz was a party animal, she set herself the mission of going out and getting drunk, that the way she was!! R.I.P Lynz, Ill never ever forget you, or the fun we used to have, please keep us all safe xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Comment by Jamie Baker (Lynseys friend) | June 15, 2006
exactly,diane morgan ur so low,how do u not have the sense to see that Lynsey was the “most precious gift” and she was treated even better than that! and honestly,im sure you don’t follow your kids around all the time and see every single move they make!parents can’t see everything that happens!!the man who served her drink illegally is whos at fault!her parents love her more than anyone could know,so how can someone actually blame them for what happened,Diane you would certainly not appreciate someone saying what you did if you were in the same situation!so how about you keep ur little bi*chy opinions 2 urself from now on??!no one wants to hear them!
Lynz you’l always be in my heart and i will never ever 4get u or the crazy things you used ta do!!!!! miss u so much,wish you wer here!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLove u!
Comment by Miss you Lynz! | June 19, 2006
diane thats one harsh comment u left,How dare you come on here and even dream of leaving a commet blameing her parents…answer me a question do you follow your “precious litlle gifts” EVERYWHERE they go??
No didnt think so,keep your rude and ignorant comments to yourself!
Lyns was a beautiful angel on earth and we will all miss her deeply,Love you lyns
alwasy thinking of you,not a day goes by! R.I.P chix xxxxx
________
SM: It was a bit unfortunate.
A truly sad story of a life gone far too soon.
R
Comment by lyns rip u ledge! | July 12, 2006
diane,having read your comment i think you owe lynsey and her parents an apology. what right have you to make such an accustaion. lynsey was adored by her parents. im so shocked how someone could hear such a story and jump to such a conclusion. and to think you have children of your own, your obviously heartless and cruel. seriously, use your head…imagine being a sister,brother,parent or friend to lynz and reading what u wrote.in future…dont bother cause obviously no one else agrees. your an idiot and i seriosly think i hate you!!
always ALWAYS thinking of you lynsey. you are now and always were an angel RIP xxxx
Comment by thinkin of you always | August 2, 2006
Im only a girl from Mayo. A bit older than Lynsey..but I can’t express how sorry I am for the family. this tragedy has been in my mind for months.Ive spend many an hour on the internet looking for a reason for this traged.I know its not much but I would just like to express my heartfelt sorrow to the O’Brien family and Lynseys friends who so obviously loved her. But as I always say… God Picks the best flowers first for his garden.
R.I.P. Lynsey
your Legacy will live on forever.
Comment by Fiona | September 6, 2006
just wanted to say to this diane morgan that im almost certain ur comment is hypocritical..considering u have children urself im sure u don’t follow and watch theyr evrys ingle move at evry time of the day …i feel this for certain as it is virtually impossible and also it cannot be done as that alone would make any child’s life hell..why bother living life if you have no freedom , i don’t understand how any one would come on to a site like this setting out to upset people who are obviously grieving already. it is pointless leaving statements that u probable don’t even truly back up urself, so unless you have sumthing of relevance and kindness to say i vote u piss off!! love you always and forever lynsey from the bottom of my heart..wish things could have been different love you xxxxx
Comment by love u angel xx | September 16, 2006
ms morgan, i no ppl are giving out to you a lot on this site and fair dues!! when i read ur comment i burst out crying!! ur talking bout my best friend and her parents like they were simpletons!! to b frank my dear, u are the only simpleton here with ur absurd, hurtful, iignorant comment! u dont realise how much ppl are hurting! i cannot believe someone wud even b as sad as u to write a ghastly comment like that!! ur a hyprocrite and a lier and wat goes around comes around so id be careful what idiotic moves you make, whether it be bout lynz or not, for ur own sake!!! i jst hope u dont loose sum1 u love and feel wat we are going through, then try to write a fecking comment!! shame on you, and a lady of your age to, think you;d have the cop on not to do something as childish as that!! i hope you’re proud of yourself!!
lynz dalring love you xxxxxxxxxx
Comment by miss u huni! | September 18, 2006
ms morgan, you are such an insensitive old granny!at your age, i’m sure you have lost people you loved…how can you not understand what the family is going through?I’m not sure how well you sleep at night, but what i’m sure about is that the family has gone through a lot already, much more than they should have, and the last thing they need is a stranger judging them.
What happened was a tragedy, and above all, if there is somenone to blame, it is the barman that gave her drinks, because she couldn’t have looked any younger….
Sorry for all the pain you have been through, and i sincerely hope that people will let you grieve in piece.
all my thoughts are withyou all, and with that bubbly, beautiful girl that went away way too soon….will never forget your smiley pretty face.
xoxoxoxo
elena (from marbella)
Comment by elena | October 7, 2006