Man who saw honeymooner on night he vanished from cruise ship later killed in 'targeted attack'
In 2005, a young man went missing on his honeymoon cruise, and to this day, the bizarre case remains a mystery.
George Smith IV disappeared just a few days into his two-week honeymoon with his new wife, Jennifer Hagan.
It was early in the morning of 5 July when they last saw each other.
The newlyweds had been partying with some friends they'd met on board, with George going on into the early hours of the morning while Jennifer fell asleep.
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The next day, when blood was found on the outside of the boat and George was nowhere to be seen, it was suspected that foul play was at hand.
One of the last people to see him alive was Greg Rozenberg, who was on holiday with his family on the M.S. Brilliance of the Seas when he bumped into the couple.
Along with Greg’s cousin, Zach Rozenberg, friend Rusty Koffman and the couple’s mate Josh Askins, the group took to the cruise’s casino.
What followed was a night filled with gambling, booze, blood stains, and a missing groom.
The following morning, the Smiths’ room was found in disarray, with small blood stains confirmed to be George’s in the carpet, bed, towels, and on the canopy below the room’s balcony. George was never seen again.
Whilst sat in a Florida State Prison for a three-year drug trafficking sentence in 2010, Rozenberg said: “None of it makes sense”
“I can't incriminate individuals that I don't know but I know George Allen Smith did not disappear or kill himself or hurt himself or slip and fall.
“Something crazy went down that night and I hope one day that they find out the truth.”
All four men preached their innocence since 2005, claiming they just put the groom to bed after they were unable to find Jennifer, who was later found unconscious in a corridor.
One of the popular theories about the night follows the narrative of a robbery gone wrong, but this has never been proved.
But the story took an even more sinister turn in 2019, when Greg Rozenberg was murdered outside his own home.
On 23 December, the 33-year-old was ambushed while sitting in his car on his driveway.
Police said at the time that he had just come back from doing some Christmas shopping when he was shot multiple times.
The suspect immediately fled the scene, with officers little to go on with their investigation, other than a 'white SUV BMW X3 or X5 series' that was seen leaving the area at the time.
At the time, investigators said that they didn't think it was a robbery gone wrong, and instead believed it to be a targeted hit.
To this day, both cases remain unsolved.
Emma Butterworth