On December 21, 2024 an American woman, 48-year-old Elizabeth McElmurray, tragically lost her life on the Sky Princess, a Princess Cruises vessel. The unfortunate incident occurred as the ship was returning to Florida after an eight-day cruise around the Caribbean. McElmurray attempted to jump overboard, but instead fell onto a lower deck of the ship.

A spokesperson for Princess Cruises reported that the ship’s staff provided immediate emergency medical assistance, but their efforts were unsuccessful in reviving her.

The Sky Princess began its eight-day Caribbean voyage on December 15, making stops at various destinations such as Cozumel, Mexico, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and the Grand Cayman Islands. The ship, which has been operational since 2019, has the capacity to host over 3,600 passengers.

Upon learning of the incident, ship personnel informed other passengers through the ship’s overhead speakers, while passengers were asked to remain in their cabins. Princess Cruises has facilitated counseling services for passengers and crew members affected by the incident.

One family member of McElmurray expressed their appreciation for the support received, acknowledging “the online community for their sensitivity and understanding.” McElmurray was accompanied by her family on the cruise.

Princess Cruises is fully cooperating with local and federal authorities in their investigation into McElmurray’s death. “The cruise line expressed their deepest condolences to the guest’s family and friends,” a company representative stated.

One Reddit user, who witnessed the incident, wrote, “My mom and cousin watched the whole thing. They were directly below us two floors down. Nobody ever came to question them. They are very traumatized by it.” The witnesses added, “She hit everything on the way down” and described the incident as very distressing. It was reported that someone held her by her arm for a few seconds before she jumped.

Between 2000 and 2019, a study revealed there were 623 reported deaths on cruise ships, with 89% of them being passengers. Of these incidents, 23% were falls overboard or onto lower decks, followed by suicide/murder/terror attacks at 19%, and cardiac incidents at 16%.

This incident is the second recent case involving Princess Cruises. In the previous case, in the beginning of December, a 72-year-old American man was suspected to have fallen overboard from the Ruby Princess during a five-day voyage to Mexico. After reviewing surveillance footage, officials launched a search operation involving Coast Guard planes and helicopters. The search has since been suspended. The Coast Guard started air searches in the Pacific Ocean approximately 45 miles from Monterey, California. The operation was paused at around 5:30 p.m. pending any updates, according to an email from Coast Guard Petty Officer Loumania Stewart sent Tuesday morning, December 3.