Coast Guard suspends search for Carnival Panorama passenger
The search was paused pending new information after authorities and assisting vessels found no sign of the missing man.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for missing Carnival Panorama passenger Thomas Gigler pending new information. The agency said more than 41 hours of coordinated searches covered 1,707 square miles without a sighting.
Crew members reported that the 56-year-old man was last seen at about 11:30 p.m. Friday. A cruise line spokesperson said a review of CCTV confirmed that Gigler went overboard as Carnival Panorama sailed from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Long Beach, California.
In cooperation with Mexico’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, the Coast Guard dispatched multiple fixed-wing aircraft to search about 57 miles off Mexico. A Mexican Naval boat and six Samaritan vessels also conducted surface searches.
Gigler was traveling with his wife, Michelle Gigler, and their three sons, ages 13, 11 and 9. His sister, Wendy Dowden, said she suspected that he experienced a mental health episode while aboard the ship.