Cruise passenger reveals chilling message sent out after dad jumped overboard on his 15th wedding anniversary

Thomas Gigler was confirmed by CCTV to have plunged overboard

A passenger on board a cruise ship has revealed what they were told after a dad mysteriously vanished.

Thomas Gigler had been enjoying a Carnival Panorama cruise with his wife when he suddenly disappeared. It was later confirmed he had had sadly gone overboard.

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 revealed the truth about what happened.

Gigler is understood to have gone overboard from the 11th deck.

Now, another passenger on board has explained exactly what happened when the dad vanished and crews began searching the ship.

Tommy McGraw, 55, from Kentucky told the Independent of how passengers were urged to go back to their rooms immediately and do accountability checks, which lasted around two hours.

He said staff did not share passenger information, but confirmed a family had reported someone as missing.

He explained: “The captain made a statement they needed everyone to their staterooms so the crew could search the decks and do accountability checks room-to-room, scanning all sail and sign cards.

“When they did their door-to-door, they stated that they didn't have any other info and the captain would guide us over the intercom system.”

He told of how the captain later announced how a passenger had jumped overboard following a review of CCTV cameras, and the ship then continued on its journey to California.

A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line previously told FOX: “Carnival Cruise Line confirmed Saturday that a male guest aboard Carnival Panorama jumped overboard while the ship was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Long Beach, California.

“When notified of a missing guest, the ship's team initiated search and investigation procedures, including reviewing CCTV footage and notifying both the U.S. and Mexico Coast Guards."

Sharing condolences for the Gigler family, the cruise line added: "Carnival is providing support to the family who was travelling with the guest, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones."

Following his identification, Thomas' sister Wendy Dowden spoke out to the media about her brother, rubbishing claims that he'd been going through marital issues prior to jumping overboard.

Sharing her thoughts on what she believes happened to her brother with MailOnline, Dowden added that she thinks Thomas may have suffered a 'psychotic break', adding: "We think something must have happened in his head. He wasn't in his right mind to have done this."

James is a multi award-winning Senior Journalist working for LADbible with a passion for telling human interest stories and delving into investigations. Previously working for regional news brands, James has covered some of the biggest national and international stories including major exclusives.

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