A “suspected homicide” is under investigation on board a cruise ship that docked in Texas, the FBI said Monday.
The incident occurred on board an MSC Seascape cruise ship that docked in Galveston on Monday, according to the FBI’s Houston field office.
The suspect, 48-year-old Jason Watford of Tyler, Texas, is now in custody in connection with the alleged homicide. Watford has been booked into the Galveston County Jail and is on a federal hold in connection with the alleged murder.
According to Smith County Court records, Watford was previously arrested in August of 2024 for assault on a family member causing bodily injury. Later that year, in November, Watford was sentenced to 15 months of probation with 30 hours of community service for that assault charge.
Meanwhile, an autopsy on the victim, a woman, is expected to be performed on Tuesday, according to the Galveston County medical examiner.
The FBI said it is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Galveston Police Department, Customs and Border Protection and the cruise line “as is customary with crimes aboard a cruise ship.”
No additional details are being released due to the ongoing investigation, the FBI said.
An MSC Cruises spokesperson said the company is “cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted.”
“On reporting a guest incident aboard our ship, we were instructed by the authorities to return to the Port of Galveston,” the spokesperson said.
The ship has since left port and resumed its planned itinerary, according to the cruise line.
“As this is an active investigation, we cannot provide more details,” the MSC Cruises spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with the guest’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
A travel agent who is traveling on the cruise ship told ABC Houston station that they are traveling on a seven-day western Caribbean cruise that departed Galveston on Sunday afternoon.
The passenger, De’Andre Anderson, told the station that announcements on the ship alerted that there was a “medical emergency” on board.
“I kind of look out of my room, and I seen there were medical staff on board, you know, with gloves on and everything,” he told KTRK. “I wasn’t you know too worried because it doesn’t directly affect me. I was just worried for the people that were involved.”
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