Almarosa Tenorio, a 52-year-old woman from Spanish Fort, Alabama, died in the early hours of November 13, 2018, after falling from an upper deck of the Royal Princess cruise ship onto a lifeboat below as the vessel sailed between Curaçao and Aruba. The Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office ruled her death “unnatural,” and the FBI opened an investigation. Based on available reporting, no charges have been filed and no public resolution has been announced.
What Happened Aboard the Ship
Tenorio and her husband, Leo Tenorio, boarded the Royal Princess when it left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on November 9, 2018. Their children later said the couple took the trip to “work on their relationship.”1ABC News. Children of Woman Who Died on Cruise Ship Speak Out2USA Today. Woman Dies After Fall From Princess Cruises Ship Royal Princess3Newsweek. Cruise Ship Murder Mystery She was pronounced dead on the ship.
What Witnesses Reportedly Saw
The Aruba-based newspaper Diario reported that passengers saw a “muscular” man choking a woman before she fell from the upper deck.3Newsweek. Cruise Ship Murder Mystery The Daily Mail separately reported that the altercation appeared to have started on the ship’s 16th floor near the casino.4Business Insider. Cruise Passenger Dies After Being Choked and Falling Those accounts circulated widely in U.S. media, but investigators have not publicly confirmed them.
The Investigation and Where It Stands
When the Royal Princess docked in Aruba, local police and forensics technicians boarded the vessel.5USA Today. Cruise Ship Death: Woman Who Fell From Princess Ship Identified The FBI joined the investigation, and Princess Cruises said it was “cooperating fully with the investigating authorities, including the FBI.”6U.S. News & World Report. FBI Investigates Suspicious Death of Woman on Cruise to Aruba
Ann Angela, a spokesperson for the Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office, said the death was being investigated “at every angle” and declined to say whether authorities were treating it as a homicide.1ABC News. Children of Woman Who Died on Cruise Ship Speak Out An autopsy was performed, but the office declined to release the results while the investigation remained open.7Good Morning America. FBI Investigating After American Woman Dies on Cruise Ship Angela told USA Today the FBI was “working with local authorities to determine if a crime was committed.”5USA Today. Cruise Ship Death: Woman Who Fell From Princess Ship Identified
As of the last available reporting, no cause of death has been publicly released, no criminal charges have been filed, and neither the FBI nor the Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced that the case is closed.
Leo Tenorio’s Status
Leo Tenorio was questioned by Aruban authorities after the ship docked. Aruban media initially reported that he had been “hauled off” the vessel, but his daughter Andrea Smith told the Daily Mail her father “was never arrested” and cooperated with investigators voluntarily.8Daily Mail. Husband of Wife Who Plunged to Death Aboard Cruise Ship Speaks The Aruba Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed he was questioned as a witness and was “not being investigated at this time as a suspect.”7Good Morning America. FBI Investigating After American Woman Dies on Cruise Ship He was permitted to return to the United States.
In a public statement, Leo Tenorio said he would treat his “memory of her with respect” and that “her death will haunt me forever.” He also thanked the FBI and Aruban police for “working to help us find the truth.”1ABC News. Children of Woman Who Died on Cruise Ship Speak Out No later reporting indicates that his status has changed from witness to suspect.
What Her Family Said
Tenorio’s two children, Andrea Smith and Timothy Tenorio, spoke publicly in a November 2018 Good Morning America interview. Both said their mother had been reluctant to take the cruise. Smith said her mother “did not want to go on this cruise” and “knew something was going to happen.”1ABC News. Children of Woman Who Died on Cruise Ship Speak Out
Timothy Tenorio described the night before his parents left. He said his mother hugged him for about five minutes and told him it “might be the last hug you get from me.”9NBC News. Family of Woman Found Dead on Princess Cruises Ship Says She Knew Something Was Going to Happen The family said they had been told very little about the FBI’s investigation and voiced frustration at the lack of answers.1ABC News. Children of Woman Who Died on Cruise Ship Speak Out
Why the FBI Has Jurisdiction
Deaths aboard cruise ships that depart from or return to U.S. ports generally fall under federal maritime jurisdiction. The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 requires cruise lines to report criminal activity to the nearest FBI field office, and the bureau investigates serious crimes on vessels owned in whole or part by U.S. persons or companies, or when the victim or perpetrator is a U.S. national and the ship has a scheduled U.S. departure or arrival.10FBI. Crimes Onboard Cruise Ships The Royal Princess had sailed from Fort Lauderdale and Tenorio was an American citizen, which gave the FBI authority to investigate alongside Aruban officials.