Published January 13, 2015
An American woman who disappeared from a cruise ship sailing along the coast of Italy is dead, but foul play is not suspected, a family member said.
Details surrounding the death of Elizabeth Kay Galeana, 22, of Naples, Florida, have not been revealed, and her family did not elaborate on how they knew Galeana was dead.
"Obviously our entire family is devastated by the loss of Elizabeth," her half-brother, Brian Evans, said in a statement. "While we are awaiting the completion of the investigation into this tragedy, from what we know at this time, we do not believe Elizabeth's death was a result of any foul play."
Carol Michalik, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Tampa office, said Monday that Italian authorities found a body in the water near Ponza, an island off the Italian coast between Rome and Naples. She said Italian authorities were trying to confirm if it was Galeana.
Galeana was reported missing Tuesday from Royal Caribbean International's Voyager of the Seas. Michael Sheehan, a spokesman for the Miami-based cruise line, said Galena likely fell off the ship. He referred questions on the search to the FBI and Italian authorities.
"Royal Caribbean is fully supporting the investigation," the cruise line said in a written statement Monday. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Galeana family."
Galeana was last seen July 25 while the ship was en route to Naples, Italy, from the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome, according to a statement from Royal Caribbean. She was reported missing by her sister about seven hours later, and several onboard announcements and searches were carried out, the company said.
Galeana was the daughter of Frank Galeana, the owner of the Galeana Automotive Group, a dealership with locations in Fort Myers as well as Michigan and South Carolina.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/family-florida-woman-missing-from-cruise-ship-is-dead