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At the time, the ship's captain described it as a likely accident -- theorizing that an intoxicated George sat on the railing and simply fell off. But a 48 hours investigation has uncovered questionable alibis, failed polygraphs and new details about a provocative video made by three of the men. The story of George Smith's last hours began with a shipboard police interview. Maureen and George Smith have grieved for nearly eight years, ever since their 26-year-old son George vanished on his honeymoon cruise "Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas" in the Aegean Sea. Is made up of attorneys who are nationally recognized industry leaders in the field of maritime and admiralty law.
Murder at Sea? The disappearance of George Smith
Sadly, he isn’t the only cruise ship passenger whose case remains unsolved. Hundreds of passengers have gone missing from cruise ships and nothing has been done to give the victims’ loved ones justice or peace of mind. Were Dr. K to be correct in his analysis, this act of foul play might then be laid at the feet of one of the last three or four men to be in Smith’s cabin with him. At the assumed time of George Smith’s death his wife was lying unconscious on the same deck, but half way around the ship, apparently having become lost on her way back to her cabin. Inexplicably, she was curled up in a dead-end hallway on the 9th deck.
The Smith Family
"And one of them stays behind, starts to rifle through the drawers and the cabinets," said Jones. Jones believes that perception fueled a robbery attempt -- one that was hatched when they put George to bed and Askin had gone into the bathroom. Lawyers for Zach Rozenberg and Rusty Kofman declined to comment on the video. Just a few days ago, "48 Hours" tried to see if Kofman himself could provide any more answers. "They were dropping F-bombs on the room service people," said Jones. Royal Caribbean documents show complaints were made against some of the men for smoking, sneaking liquor and verbally abusing ship employees.
Foul play
"They loved the sites. I remember they were talking a lot of pictures. Like, everywhere they went they were, like, always with the camera," Galina recalled. Maureen Smith described her son as a "Fine young man. Handsome ... Hard working. He was just an all-around great kid." He said that there was only a "spec" of blood found in the cabin, and that what was originally believed to be blood on a towel turned out to be makeup. Hagel Smith has received numerous documents, including cabin access records and statements made to investigators, Sheeley said.
Honeymooner's disappearance: Was it murder? - NBC News
Honeymooner's disappearance: Was it murder?.
Posted: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:00:00 GMT [source]
That arguing, Jones believes, is what ear-witness Clete Hyman heard on the balcony. "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. "There's a statement made on videotape where you say George went parachute riding off his balcony," Miller confronted Kofman.
As a group, the men told Turkish police, "And that was the end of it. ... We were all together ... But just remember not at one point or at no time did he ever seem angry or anything at all." The men claimed that after a night of partying, they had tucked George into bed and left his cabin. Another passenger reported the noise disturbance to the ship’s guest relation’s desk just after 4 a.m., but the ship’s crew did not respond until nearly half an hour later. Had they responded in time, perhaps Smith would be alive today. In the appeal, Smith's parents and sister said his widow agreed to an inadequate settlement with the cruise ship line to avoid embarrassing disclosures about her conduct. The Smith family has recently announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for his disappearance.
Remembering Erin Gilmour
"And one of them stays behind, starts to rifle through the drawers and the cabinets," he said. "George and Jennifer dressed well. George had a very expensive Breitling watch. They, sort of, flashed the money at the -- in the casino." "There's a lotta evidence to suggest that that was not as simple as -- as the Russian men and as Josh have said," Jones said. "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 "48 Hours". "What it's not about is an accident, and what it's not about is a suicide," Jones told "48 Hours". Jennifer said she had almost no memory after leaving the casino.
Again, if Dr. K is correct, there could be, even some 6 months later, trace evidence of blood in the room, on the walls, ceiling, furniture, that an application of a Luminol-like spray might uncover. CSI fans will know that Luminol is often used at crime scenes in the visualization of blood. It is highly sensitive and can usually locate faint blood that is invisible to the eye. When sprayed on surfaces where blood is evident, the Luminol will make the blood patterns appear a bright green.
Judge sets $1.4M bond for pastor accused of fleeing to Texas after sexually abusing girl in Florida Keys
The parents of George Smith continue to demand answers to the ultimate fate of their son and seek reform concerning the investigation of crimes on the high seas. In videotaped depositions obtained by INSIDE EDITION, two of the passengers who carried George to his room repeatedly took the fifth when asked about George Smith's death. "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." 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. As a group, the men told Turkish police, "And that was the end of it. ... We were all together ... But just remember not at one point or at no time did he ever seem angry or anything at all ... he was a happy person."
"I looked out and saw three male individuals walking away from the room." "My wife and I were awakened by yelling coming from the Smith cabin. This yelling sounded what I would liken to a drinking game," he said. In another cabin, Paul and Galina Kvitnisky were startled by a visit from ship personnel. "And I just remember telling him, 'It's time to call it a night,'" he said.
Josh Askin's lawyer, Keith Greer, argues that it could have been an oversight in the hand-written documentation. In 2010, Mike Jones got his hands on Royal Caribbean's case file. Room service records do not show any order being delivered to the men last seen with George Smith that night. 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. On July 4, 2005, George and Jennifer Smith spent the day touring Mykonos, Greece.
Hagel Smith did not want to disclose her husband's use of prescription drugs, but was forced to do so because of his family's "relentless" litigation, Sheeley said. Hagel Smith is not saying the prescription drugs and alcohol caused her husband's death, Sheeley said. CBS will air an updated story of the efforts of Mr. Smith’s family tomorrow night on 48 HOURS. There is not a day that goes by that I forget how blessed I am to have my boys alive and healthy, and my family intact.
At the time, the ship's captain described it as a likely accident ... A balcony chair had been found with its back against the railing. For almost eight years, Maureen and George Smith have lived a life of torment not knowing what happened to their 26-year-old son aboard that cruise ship. 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 Smith family is pushing for a bill to require cruise ships to be equipped with man overboard technology. They don't know what happened to their 26-year-old son aboard that cruise ship.
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