Cruise ship passenger’s body ‘found decomposing in drinks cooler after being kept there for a week’
24 April 2023, 06:39
A widow is suing a cruise line accusing them of mishandling her husband’s body after he died on board a ship.
Robert L Jones, 78, died on board the Celebrity Equinox last August.
His family are suing the company accusing them of storing his corpse in a drinks cooler for six days - resulting in severe decomposition.
He died from cardiac arrest after suffering heart trouble - and was supposed to be put in the ship’s morgue - says Jones’s wife Marilyn.
But the family say his body could not have been kept in the morgue given the advanced decomposition of his remains.
According to the lawsuit, his body was kept on the ship ‘for approximately six days’ and his family were told staff were prepared to deal with deaths on board.
However they claim his body was not found in the morgue when the ship arrived at Ft Lauderdale.
“Instead, Mr. Jones’ body had, at some time not yet known, had been moved from the ship’s morgue to a cooler on a different floor than the ship’s morgue,” the lawsuit claims.
It “was not at a temperature which was sufficient nor proper for storing a dead body to prevent decomposition.”
The family are seeking damages of around £800,000 and are demanding a trial by jury.
Celebrity Cruises declined to comment, citing the case's sensitivity and "out of respect for the family".
