New details emerge about dad who jumped off cruise ship on his 15th wedding anniversary
New details have emerged about the father of three went overboard on a cruise ship while celebrating his 15th wedding anniversary.
Thomas Gigler had been enjoying a Carnival Panorama cruise with his wife when he suddenly disappeared.
The couple had been travelling from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Long Beach, California, when Michelle realised she couldn't find her husband and raised the alarm.
Crew members launched a search of the ship and eventually reviewed CCTV footage, which showed Gigler going overboard.
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Now, fresh details have shed more light on what happened after Gigler was reported missing.
Speaking to the New York Post, a passenger staying on the same deck as the Giglers said their cabin was on the second deck.
Gigler is understood to have gone overboard from the 11th deck, meaning he would have had quite a trek through the ship before going overboard.
Another passenger, Lorrie Freed Silva, was staying on the ninth deck and recalled the moment things started to get rather unsettling.
She told the outlet she had been in her cabin at around 4:30pm when an announcement instructed passengers to return to their rooms.
There was no immediate explanation, with passengers reportedly told that crew needed to carry out a passenger count.
Freed-Silva said the announcement was repeated several times, before two people she believed to be officers came to her cabin and asked who was inside.
Around 45 minutes later, passengers were told that someone was missing.
Then 15 minutes after that came an announcement that a man had gone overboard.
Freed-Silva said the ship then turned around as crew members searched the water, with the Coast Guard also involved in the operation.
Carnival confirmed that its crew began search and investigation procedures after being alerted to a missing guest.
According to the New York Post, CCTV was reviewed and the US and Mexican Coast Guards were contacted, while the Mexican Navy and nearby commercial vessels also joined the search.
The ship eventually continued on its journey to Long Beach, but Gigler has still not been found.
Gigler had been travelling with his wife on what was supposed to be a holiday to mark the couple's 15th wedding anniversary.
Gigler's sister Wendy Dowden has previously rejected suggestions that marital troubles played a role in his disappearance.
Speaking to MailOnline, she said Thomas and Michelle 'were getting along quite well', adding that the family believed something had happened to him that left him 'not in his right mind'.
Gigler, who lived with his family in Redlands, California and has three sons, had worked as a computer programmer for software company Esri for 24 years.
For now, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear, with the search for the father of three continuing.
Topics: Carnival Cruise Line, Cruise Ship, US News
Ali Condon