The FBI is investigating a suspected homicide aboard the MSC Seascape after a woman was found dead on the cruise ship, which returned to Galveston, Texas, on Monday, hours after setting sail on a seven-day Caribbean voyage.
Video filmed by passengers showed Jason Leon Watford, 48, from East Texas, being led down a ramp in handcuffs by federal officers once the ship docked. He was taken to the Galveston County Jail on an FBI hold.
The ship left Galveston at 4 p.m. Sunday and changed course at around 11 p.m., with passengers waking Monday morning to find the vessel back in port. The captain told passengers there had been a medical emergency and urged them to remain calm, according to passengers who spoke to local television.
The FBI said it could provide no additional details because the investigation is ongoing. The Galveston County medical examiner confirmed to ABC News that the victim was a woman; her identity and her relation to Watford are unclear, and an autopsy was expected on Tuesday. It is also unclear when the death occurred.
Jail records reviewed by CBS19 show Watford was previously arrested in September 2024 for assaulting a family member and sentenced to 15 months of probation in November 2024. It is unclear whether that family member was the person found dead aboard the ship.
After Watford was arrested, the 19-deck ship — which can carry up to 5,877 passengers — resumed its voyage toward Costa Maya, Mexico, then Roatán, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico, and is expected to return to Galveston on November 15.
