23-Year-Old Man Goes Missing During Cruise After Sending Final Message to Wife, Leaving Her Heartbroken

A Scottish tourist, Liam Jones, is feared dead following his disappearance from the MSC Euribia cruise ship. The 23-year-old social work student from Dundee was on a week-long luxury cruise to celebrate his mother's birthday when the tragedy struck.

Those who knew him described Liam as a devoted husband and promising student. He embarked on the voyage on Friday, March 15, alongside his family. The cruise, which set sail from Southampton, was scheduled to visit several European destinations, including Hamburg, France, Belgium, and Amsterdam.

The unsettling turn of events began on Saturday, March 16, as Euribia was en route to Hamburg. It was then that Liam was reported missing. In the subsequent hours, a search was launched, and the ship's operator, MSC Cruises, confirmed the distressing news of a passenger going overboard.

Sophia McPhee, Liam's 20-year-old wife, is grappling with the shock and despair of her husband's sudden disappearance. In her conversation with the Daily Record, she expressed her overwhelming sense of loss and frustration with the lack of information provided to her. "I feel so lost. He's just...gone," Sophia lamented, her voice a testament to the anguish she is enduring.

The last communication between the couple was a text message from Liam, mentioning he was feeling seasick. Soon after, a chilling message from Liam’s sister detailing the sad situation came in. The sister even went as far as expressing the possibility that Liam might not be coming back.

Authorities were notified, and police boarded the MSC Euribia upon its arrival in Southampton on March 21, conducting a thorough investigation. Despite these efforts, the details of how or why Liam went overboard remain a mystery.

In a statement, MSC Cruises expressed their sorrow over the incident, highlighting their cooperation with law enforcement to unravel the circumstances leading to Liam’s disappearance. "We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time," said the MSC spokesperson.

As the investigation continues, Sophia, along with Liam's family and friends, awaits answers, hoping for closure in this devastating saga. The community has rallied in support of Liam’s loved ones, reflecting on the young man's life and the void his loss has created.

Adding to the distressing narrative, Cruise Law News posted a statement on Facebook indicating that this incident is not isolated. Liam is the sixth person to go overboard from an MSC cruise ship in the past four months.

In November 2023, a crew member disappeared from the MSC Seascape. Then, in December, two passengers fell overboard from different MSC ships, the Armonia and the Preziosa, under mysterious circumstances.

In February 2024 another passenger fell into the sea but fortunately, the person was rescued and taken to the hospital, where they were reported to be in good condition after receiving medical treatment. That same month the MSC World Europa also ended up in the death of a 73-year-old U.S passenger who fell overboard.

These consecutive incidents, occurring from November 2023 to March 2024, have cast a shadow over MSC Cruises, prompting calls for a thorough investigation into the company's safety practices and emergency response measures.

The report also highlighted concerns from family members and other passengers about the lack of immediate announcements or timely search and rescue efforts following Liam’s disappearance. Additionally, the story has captured the hearts of many. One Facebook user expressed that as much as they did not know much about the case, people going missing on cruise ships had become a norm.

The reality of these lost lives being looked over was heartbreaking. The commenter expressed, "Always find it so sad........Sometimes you hear rumors on the ship, and sometimes it will be announced just the once. I just cannot imagine what the family are going through. Whether it was an accident or not is really not important, someone is gone......... my condolences."

Click here to read some of the other horrifying things that happen on cruise ships.

Cruise ships can be a fun adventure, but one TikToker revealed a darker aspect that many people might not be aware of. A woman with the username @darastarrtucker shared the shocking details on TikTok.

The TikToker responded to a comment suggesting that free ice cream on cruise ships was given out to make space for a dead body. Dara mentioned she worked as a singer on a cruise ship about a decade ago and lived on the ship for approximately six months. Although she never encountered any disturbing situations herself, she befriended crew members who were exposed to the darker aspects of cruise life.

However, the morgue could only accommodate seven bodies. If more than seven people died, the freezer would be used to store some of the bodies. Therefore, the free ice cream parties were not for pleasure but for a more somber reason.

To substantiate her claims, she shared another video from a TikToker who worked as a medic on a cruise. This man confirmed Dara's statement and included a video with pictures. The first picture showed him in his scrubs, taken around the time Dara worked as a singer and lived on ships.

He showed another photo of the medical center where they had all the monitors, stretchers, and medical equipment to care for any injuries. There were 12 rooms altogether and one with three beds in it.

There was also a designated space where all the extra emergency equipment was stored. Adjacent to that room was a door to the morgue, which only held three bodies.

This indicated that if more than four people died, they would use the freezer, resulting in the need to remove some of the food to store the bodies until they could be offloaded at the next port. Dara felt validated after the man supported her story, especially since people believed she was lying for the sake of likes and clicks.

This revelation shocked many viewers, with people confirming the theory. One commenter, a cruise ship medic, wrote, "Can confirm the morgue and ice cream correlation." Another person, a former sailor, added, "Yes, we don't wear our covers on mess decks, and sometimes space needs to be made in the freezer."

A viewer remarked, "Thanks for the info. There was an ice cream party on my cruise ship, and now I know why." The news left some skeptical about cruising, with one saying, "I swear every fact I learn makes me want to go on a cruise less."