Everything we know after woman, 80, died when cruise ship left her on deserted island

Here is everything we know about the case of Suzanne Rees, an elderly woman who died after being left on a remote island by a commercial cruise ship she was travelling on.

Rees, 80, was a passenger on the Coral Adventurer cruise ship, which was on a 60-day circumnavigation of Australia - a trip which costs around $52,000 (£39,000).

The trip had departed from the city of Cairns earlier in the week and had made its first stop on Lizard Island, an island on the Great Barrier Reef, on Saturday.

It's understood that Rees had joined a group of hikers heading to the island's viewpoint when she began to feel unwell and was advised to head back down.

However the retiree did not get back onboard the ship when it departed the island.

Rescue workers began searching for the retiree after the captain was alerted to her disappearance, with her body being found the following day.

Suzanne Rees died after being left behind on a remote island (Facebook)

Her death is being treated as 'sudden and non-suspicious'.

What have the family of Suzanne Rees said?

Rees' daughter has since accused the operator of Coral Adventurer of failing in their duty of care towards her mother.

Speaking about her mother's death in an interview with The Australian, Katherine Rees called the events which led to her mother's death a 'failure of care and common sense'.

"From the little we have been told, it seems that there was a failure of care and common sense. We understand from the police that it was a very hot day, and Mum fell ill on the hill climb. She was asked to head down, unescorted," she said.

"Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone."

Katherine went on to add the she'd been 'shocked and saddened' and described her mother as healthy and active.

"I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mum’s life."

The ship had stopped at Lizard Island (Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

What has Queensland Police said about the case?

Queensland Police confirmed they were alerted to a missing passenger onboard the ship by Coral Adventurer at 10pm (AEST) and alerted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) emergency hotline on 25 October.

A rescue helicopter was then launched at 12:45am on Sunday, and her body was found that day.

“We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding why the passenger may not have been accounted for during boarding,” a statement issued by a spokesman for the force said.

What has cruise ship Coral Adventurer said about the death?

Coral Expeditions chief executive, Mark Fifield, gave the following statement on Tuesday (28 October): "On Saturday, 25 October, the crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea.

"Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.

“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family."

She had been traveling on the cruise ship Coral Adventurer (Coral Adventurer)

The statement continued: "The Coral team have been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process.

"We are working closely with Queensland police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is under way."

LADbible Group previously contacted Coral Expeditions for an update.

Witness statements from other tourists on Lizard Island

Tourist Traci Ayris and her partner Matthew were visiting the island with another tour group at the same time as Rees and noted how the other tour appeared to leave rather quickly.

"They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island, it would seem," Ayris told the Cairns Post. "The last people came down from the track and got into tender, then the (ship) left very soon after that.

'There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored," she continued.

"We even commented, 'Wow they left fast'."

She became separated from the group after taking ill (Family handout)

The tourist was on the island during the rescue mission, which included an aerial search and members from the Coral Adventurer ship.

"We watched the search up the mountain," Ayris explained.

"Until the search was called off around 3am and then [resumed] again at first light.

"The chopper arrived at first light and it went directly to Telstra Rock [where she was last seen] and immediately it hovered then went straight to the air strip."

It was at this point Ayris realised that Rees had died, adding: "We knew that it had found her and the lack of activity told us that she was clearly dead.

"She lay there all day and was finally airlifted [just before 4pm]."