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Trek up the long sidewalk leading past the gorgeous green lawns that stretch out on either side of Castillo San Felipe del Morro, commonly referred to as El Morro. The lawns provide a gorgeous base to the stately standing fort at the top of the gently sloping hill, with the ocean sparkling all around it. Informational signs spread out around the fort will enlighten you about the history of El Morro and how it played a strategic military role for many centuries. The Smith family continues to investigate, and has requested all of the FBI's files now that they are through with their investigation.
Video shows SLAM! Miami students’ savage beating
At the time, his death was considered suspicious and now the person who may have had answers about what happened on that ship has been murdered. Smith mysteriously disappeared in the early morning hours of July 5, 2005,[2][3] and evidence suggested that foul play might have been involved. Blood stains were found in his cabin as well as on the side of the ship, and it appeared that he might have been tossed off the ship or fallen overboard and drowned. George Allen Smith IV (born October 3, 1978) was an American man who disappeared overboard from the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship MS Brilliance of the Seas in July 2005 under suspicious circumstances. His story has been reported on by Dateline NBC and 48 Hours and was depicted in a television film called Deadly Honeymoon, which still airs on Lifetime. Five years ago yesterday, George Smith IV (below with his dad, George Smith III) disappeared from Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship between Greece and Turkey.
New Evidence in Missing Cruise Ship Passenger Case Revealed, But Why is FBI Holding Back?
Jennifer, however, was not there, so George decided to search the ship before giving up and returning back to his room. According to an interview Askin and his attorney gave to Vanity Fair, an employee at the casino was getting a little too close to Jennifer as the night went on. The couple also joined George and Jennifer when they went to the casino on the ship in the early hours of July 5. The FBI dropped its criminal investigation this year into Smith's death. That year she also began working at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in New York City as the major gifts officer, before moving to Fairfield, Connecticut according to an interview she gave to Fairfield Living. George was helping to run his family's liquor store in Cos Cob, Connecticut, while Jennifer, then 25, was about to begin a job as a third-grade teacher, having recently received a Masters in Education from Roger Williams University.
Seven & One-Half Years After Disappearance, George Smith’s Family Still Seeking Answers From Royal Caribbean
Take part in a hands-on cooking class with a local chef and learn how Caribbean ingredients impart an island flavor to dishes in Curaçao. The Smith family has criticized this move on their Facebook page, asking why she did not stay behind and try to look for her new husband - and instead 'hopped the first plane back to the United States after her release from Turkish police custody'. Jennifer and Askin were then told what had likely happened, and led off the ship to be questioned by Turkish police. At the same time, Askin also reached to out to staff on the ship to say that he had been drinking with George the night before and that perhaps he was still sleeping. Early that morning a passenger had found blood on a lifeboat canopy, and officials wanted to make sure the Smiths were not hurt. Hopefully Smith’s story will shed some light into the hidden world of cruise lines and how – more often than not – they fail to provide a safe environment for those onboard.
Honeymoon widow Hagel Smith whose husband died on cruise 10 years ago's new life - Daily Mail
Honeymoon widow Hagel Smith whose husband died on cruise 10 years ago's new life.
Posted: Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]
"I would sit and have a couple of beers with him and he'd make me laugh for the whole night. And besides he was so good looking the girls just fell all over him. He was a just a lot of fun. He was a great guy [voice catches]." The FBI has been investigating George Smith's disappearance for almost eight years, but it has gone nowhere. Mike Jones, an attorney hired by the Smiths, is trying to move the case forward.
According to media reports,a grand jury has been convened in Connecticut to search for answers into who murdered George. "And this got around because there were other passengers not within the circle of the Russians and Josh who heard the rumors about the money in the cabin. We don't believe it was true, but perception is everything," said Jones. "They pass a video camera around filming themselves commenting about George's death in a very callous way," Jones explained. "And they're laughing and joking very callously about him being wealthy ... And certainly the way they were talking, they either knew or they had a pretty good sense of what had happened." "People [who] have seen that videotape have told me that the person holding the camera is doing kind of a narration and asking her questions and she's responding to them. But as this continues she's crying," Miller pointed out. "There are some witnesses from the cruise ship -- cruise ship employees that actually escorted her onto the elevator and tried to help her get off the elevator on her floor before she ended up going the wrong way on -- on deck nine," said Jones.
Honeymoon Cruise
48 Hours Update: "New" Evidence in Disappearance of Cruise Passenger George Smith - Cruise Law News
48 Hours Update: "New" Evidence in Disappearance of Cruise Passenger George Smith.
Posted: Fri, 10 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT [source]
We reached an agreement that Royal Caribbean would pay $1,060,000 and reveal all of its investigation materials regarding George’s death. Mr. Smith’s newly-wed bride, Jennifer Hagel, retained me to represent the interests of George’s estate against Royal Caribbean. I was tasked with trying to find out what happened and to hold those responsible for George’s death accountable. "But we don't believe that Josh was involved in the actual, you know, tossing of George overboard."
The Smith's Cabin
The FBI is in possession of the provocative videotape and the Smith family wonders why more has not been done. No one has ever been charged in connection with George Smith's disappearance. Room service records do not show any order being delivered to the men last seen with George Smith that night. That night, the couple had dinner aboard the ship and toasted their future together according to Jennifer. One person who may know something though is Gregory Rozenberg who was one of the men Smith was hanging out with that night on the ship. "The evidence will be given to a woman whose whereabouts are unknown when George was thrown overboard... and who has done everything in her power to stop us from finding out what happened to George on July 5, 2005," the post reads.
Honeymoon widow Hagel Smith whose husband died on cruise 10 years ago's new life
A video tape created by the same men, and which has been in the hands of the FBI for some time, shows there may in fact have been a murder at sea all those years ago. The Smith family is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading "to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible" for their son going missing from his honeymoon cruise. The next morning all that was left of Smith was a blood stain on an overhang below his cabin’s balcony and now, 15 years later, the case remains unsolved. "I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that my son was murdered on that cruise ship," Maureen Smith, George's mother, told CBS News' 48 Hours.
The four men and their families were then ejected from the ship in Naples, where Italian police looked into the rape allegation and washed their hands of it saying they had no jurisdiction. No one has ever been charged in the sexual incident and lawyers for the men believe the tape saved them. "There's a lotta evidence to suggest that that was not as simple as -- as the Russian men and as Josh have said," Jones told John Miller. "You look at the behavior of these young men. ...they're not good boys or good Samaritans." "You know, they ordered so much food, and they couldn't have killed George because they were in the room eating the room service," Jones told Miller. "And they told us that if Josh ever says anything that is different than what he said before the grand jury, anything, they will fly him back to Connecticut on perjury charges," Greer explained.
"In addition to the blood, there were sounds of -- a fight, a struggle inside my brother's room," said Bree Smith. "Not only to lose your memory but to have nobody believe you," Jennifer Hagel Smith told Oprah Winfrey. "There was what I call trashing of the room sounds," Greg Lawyer explained. "I thought somebody was throwing furniture around...either mad or having a good time so we dismissed it at that point." "After about two minutes of the argument, we heard one lone male voice repeatedly saying, 'Goodnight, goodnight' ... like they were ushering someone out of the room," Hyman continued. "I looked out and saw three male individuals walking away from the room."
On his July 2005 honeymoon cruise, George Smith IV, 26, of Greenwich, Connecticut, went overboard into the Mediterranean as his Royal Caribbean ship traveled from Greece to Turkey. The FBI investigated for 10 years before telling the family they couldn’t prove his death was a homicide and not an accident, a decision that "outraged and disgusted" Smith's relatives. The International Cruise Victims Association (ICV) is dedicated to helping the loved ones of passengers who have been involved in crimes at sea, especially those who have disappeared at sea. This weekend, 48 Hours reported on the mysterious disappearance of a cruise ship passenger whose case has yet to be closed. In the wake of two other passengers falling overboard from a Carnival cruise last week in Australia, the need to improve maritime safety regulations industry-wide is blatantly clear. Yet, the case of missing passenger George Allen Smith IV remains unsolved eight years after the tragic disappearance occurred and the cruise line on which he was sailing seems to have washed its hands of any responsibility in investigating the case.
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