Elizabeth Kay Galeana, 22, Missing aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship traveling the Mediterranean Sea
Its happened again aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise liner. Another American has
gone missing, this time 22 year old Elizabeth Kay Galeana. Elizabeth Kay Galeana, is the daughter of a wealthy Naples automotive magnate who has been missing for three days from a cruise ship that was traveling the Mediterranean Sea.
Elizabeth Kay Galeana, who attended Gulf Coast High School as a senior in 2000 and whose family owns Galeana Automotive Group based in Fort Myers, was aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Voyager of the Seas with several members of her extended family when she went missing.
She was last seen at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday when she went to sleep in her parents’ stateroom. She was discovered missing at 7:30 a.m. by her sister while the cruise ship was sailing from Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy to Naples, Italy, according to officials with Royal Caribbean International.
The ship was about 100 miles off the coast of Italy at the time. Royal Caribbean notified the U.S. and Italian Coast Guards, the FBI, the U.S. Consulate in Naples (Italy), and the Naples (Italy) police, cruise line officials said in a prepared statement Friday. The Naples (Italy) police conducted an investigation and the Italian Coast Guard conducted air and sea searches, according to the cruise line.
She is added to a recent rash of people who have gone missing aboard Royal Caribbean.
Elizabeth is the fourth person to go missing from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship since July 2005. George Allen Smith IV, 26, of Greenwich, Conn., disappeared during his honeymoon cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas on July 5, 2005. Blood stains were found on a canopy that covers life boats, but his body was never found. Daniel DiPiero, 21, of Canfield, Ohio, went missing from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that was cruising the Bahamas on May 16. Videos of the ship show a man who looked like DiPiero leaning against the rails. The search for him was called off May 17. Canadian Jill Begora, 59, was last seen by her husband on Dec. 5, 2005, as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship they were aboard approached the port of Nassau in the Bahamas. A search by a U.S. Coast Guard ship and the Bahamian Navy found no trace of her.
Read the full story at Bonita News.
Relatives: Fla. Woman Missing From Cruise
Authorities are investigating the disappearance of a Florida woman from a cruise ship sailing along the coast of Italy, relatives say. Family members identified the woman as Elizabeth Kay Galeana, 22, of Naples, Fla., reporting missing Tuesday from Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas.
(Forbes)
UPDATE: Family heads back to U.S. without heiress. Search continues as Galeanas’ trip ends
The Galeana family was expected to return to the United States late Saturday, but auto heiress Elizabeth Kay Galeana is still missing.
The Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas cruise ship docked at a Barcelona, Spain, port early Saturday, ending its Mediterranean round, according to a Royal Caribbean spokesman.
Royal Caribbean’s statement:
According to a Royal Caribbean statement, she was reported missing by her sister seven hours later.
A variety of onboard announcements and searches were immediately carried out without success, Sierra-Caro said
Royal Caribbean notified the U.S. and Italian Coast Guards, the FBI, the U.S. Consulate in Naples and the Naples police. The Naples police conducted an investigation, and the Italian Coast Guard conducted air and sea searches.
Sierra-Caro said Royal Caribbean is supporting the investigation in numerous ways, including collecting on-board records, videotapes and statements, and preserving staterooms for investigators. A senior Royal Caribbean executive and a company Guest Care Team joined the ship to further assist Galeana’s family, she said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this woman and her family,” said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International.
(The News Press – Fort Meyers)
[...] Read full story at Missing & Exploited. [...]
Pingback by Scared Monkeys | July 29, 2006
Oh my another one, I wonder how Royal Caribbean will cover this one up? People are missing, people are murdered and many sexual assualts and no answers. I guess it is to much to ask the FBI and the State Department about it, just like Natalee Holloway…,,they are useless.
Comment by Houston | July 29, 2006
I am still amazed that our goverment and FBI has failed to step up to the plate and do something about these islands and cruise ships. The only good thing that has been done as of late is the Adam Walsh Act. It looks like until something happens to a government officials family member nothing will be done to stop this new form of terrorism.
These terrorist prey on American citizens outside of the US boundries knowing that our government won’t step in to help. At least Israel stood up for its two soldiers that were kidnapped. When is our government going to stand up for our stolen citizens?
Comment by Maurice B | July 30, 2006
The problem lies not with the Cruise line, but rather with the stupid acts of the passengers, and the lack of control of parents of their children. Allowing young people to get plastered and about the ship 24 hours a day only leads to these fights, accidents, etc. caused by unruly people in a veritable floating city. The cruise ships would have to place guards to patrol every inch of every deck and place bars on private balconies in order to prevent foolish and dangerous behavior by some of these folks.
__________
SM: Not entirely true.
No different than bars or your own home if you were throwing a party and allowed people to leave drunk. If they met with an accident, harm, death or caused harm or damage to others … you could be held responsible.
I do not think it is too much to ask for cruise ship bars to not over-serve especially if it could contribute to a passenger falling overboard.
Comment by Tom Burcet | July 31, 2006
You should not assume that alcohol was a factor in this case. The family does not owe us an explanation. They need to deal with the tragic loss of their daughter.
_________
SM: No the family does not owe an explanation. However, without any type of explanation people will wonder and that will create even more questions.
Sometimes its better just to be more open.
R
Comment by lisa o | August 2, 2006
Parents not having control over children?
She was 22 years old.
Comment by JJ | August 2, 2006
I was one of the passengers on the Voyager of the Seas, where Elizabeth went missing. The morning she went missing we woke up to multiple annoucements asking for Elizabeth to please report to Guest Relations. Our Stateroom Attendant knocked on all of doors with Elizabeth’s picture asking if we had seen her. I was with a large group of friends and I will admit at first we didn’t think anything of it. We thought for sure she had lost her way back to the room and that she would show up at her parents room at any point. We were docked at Naples that day & we got off the boat and when we returned to the boat that evening, the announcements were still being announced. It was scary. We stayed docked for about 3 hrs while the situation was being investigated. As a passenger we heard a variety of different things in which we don’t know what was true or what was false. We heard that she was last seen in The Vault (ship’s club), talking to a few men in which the bartender noticed that she had bruises on both of her arms like someone grabbed her. We heard that she had a fight with her parents that night. We heard that she was in therapy and had alot of personal issues she was battling. No matter what the case is, it is still sad to hear about the loss of Elizabeth. To be honest, I don’t think anyone will ever know what really happened. It’s sad. As far as Royal Caribbean is concerned you would think and hope that they did everything in their power to help in the situation. But did they??
Comment by Steph | August 9, 2006
The cruise lines need only put a few infrared cameras, connected to a recording medium (like a DVD writer on a PC), and most of these “mysteries” would be solved. If the cruise lines wanted to actually prevent their passengers from dying a slow, exhausting death as they float alone in the ocean, there are many other things they could do.
People used to “fall” off the empire state building fairly frequently. Now they don’t. Why? Because the Empire State Building Mgmnt was sued for failing to protect the people on the ground from falling objects. They had to show that they had taken reasonable measures to prevent this known hazard.
Drunk people, clumsy people, unhappy people, violent people all take cruises. The hazard of falling, or being thrown off a ship is real.
The low tech solution of putting up taller rails and screens would mean an end to this. Fixing this is as simple as a CEO decision.
Comment by dumb-da-dumb-dumb | August 17, 2006
People need to stop speculating. Elizabeth was troubled and fighting demons we’ll never understand. She must have felt her only path to peace was what she did. This family is a proud family who finds no fault with RC. They do not blame the cruiseline for their daughter’s tragic death. Elizabeth was a beautiful, yet sad soul who had troubles nobody could understand. Pray for the family and stop blaming the cruise line. The family knew exactly what happened – they had been concerned for Elizabeth for several years, and it came to the end they didn’t want to see. They tried EVERYTHING to help her…ultimately, nothing worked. It’s simply a sad and tragic end to a long struggle.
Comment by Friend of the Family | August 26, 2006
Elizabeth was mycousiin. I was very close to her.I miss her so so so much. None of you assume right away that alchohol was the problem.You dont need an explanation from us [family] I just know that, that night was horrible. And I HATE,DISPISE july twenty fourth. i miss you elizabeth.I know that.. nevermind. you wont ever people to read this. I wont ever be able to talk to you again. Whats worth trying
________
SM: Sometimes writing about it helps.
This is such a tragic tale of a girl just dying far too young. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of Elizabeth’s family and friends.
God Bless Elizabeth.
R
Comment by Lauren | September 4, 2006