A passenger was arrested at the Port of Galveston on Monday after a woman was found dead aboard the MSC Seascape, which had turned back to Texas just hours into a seven-day Caribbean cruise.
The man, identified as Jason Leon Watford of East Texas, was handcuffed and escorted off the ship by law enforcement as it docked in Galveston. He was booked into the Galveston County Jail on an FBI hold, according to Fox26.
The FBI, which has jurisdiction over violent crimes aboard cruise ships sailing from U.S. ports, confirmed the arrest but offered few details. “Since this is an ongoing investigation, no additional details will be provided,” an FBI spokesperson told KHOU.
Galveston County medical examiners confirmed to ABC News that the victim was a woman. Her relationship to Watford has not been disclosed, and the timing of her death remains unclear. An autopsy was expected to be conducted Tuesday.
Jail records reviewed by CBS19 show Watford was previously arrested in September 2024 for assaulting a family member and was sentenced to 15 months of probation that November. It is not known whether that family member is the woman found dead aboard the ship.
Ship reversed course overnight
The MSC Seascape, a Maltese-flagged vessel with capacity for nearly 5,900 passengers, departed Galveston at 4 p.m. Sunday bound for the Caribbean. Around 11 p.m., the ship abruptly changed course, and passengers woke up back at the Texas port the next morning.
A passenger identified only as Jonah told Fox26 he was told there had been “an incident” aboard the ship. “We all noticed that we were back at Galveston,” he said. “They were saying it was like a medical emergency [and] we needed to go back to the port. They pretty much told us to remain calm and just stay and enjoy the ship.”
Another passenger, De’Andre Anderson, told ABC13 he saw medical staff wearing gloves moving through the ship after intercom announcements referenced a medical emergency. “I wasn’t you know too worried because it doesn’t directly affect me,” he said. “I was just worried for the people that were involved.”
A third passenger, Victor Williams, who was traveling with his wife, Sarah Williams, said he saw investigators on deck 10 wearing rubber gloves and hazmat suits.
After Watford’s arrest, the ship departed Galveston again and is now headed to Costa Maya, Mexico, with planned stops at Roatán Island, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico, later this week. It is scheduled to return to Galveston on Nov. 15 at around 6:30 a.m.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login