FBI files search warrants in death aboard Carnival cruise ship

The FBI has filed for two search warrants in connection with the death of a female passenger aboard a Carnival cruise ship – while the company said “all indications” suggest she died “due to a medical condition.”

The unidentified guest was found unresponsive in her cabin aboard the Carnival Sunshine during the ship’s voyage to Nassau, Bahamas, the feds said Sunday.

On Wednesday, the bureau filed for two warrants, one to search the cabin and the other to search a Volkswagen Jetta with North Carolina plates, WCSC reported.

FBI spokesman Kevin Wheeler confirmed to the outlet that both search warrants are related to the woman’s death on the ship, which left Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 27 and returned March 4.


 The Carnival Sunshine, a cruise ship on which a woman was found dead
A woman died on the Carnival Sunshine, which departed from Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 27 for the trip to Nassau.
AP

“Medical staff and other crew members of Carnival’s Sunshine were made aware of the passenger being unresponsive and immediately attempted life-saving measures,” a spokesperson for the FBI’s Columbia field office said.

“Despite their efforts, the passenger was pronounced deceased on the ship,” the rep added.

On Tuesday, Carnival said the death appeared to be from natural causes.

“While we continue to cooperate with authorities, all indications pertaining to the death of a guest on board Carnival Sunshine suggest that it was a natural death due to a medical condition,” the company said in a statement to WCSC.


 The Carnival Sunshine, a cruise ship on which a woman was found dead
The FBI has applied for two search warrants for the investigation, while Carnival said the death appears to have been natural.
AP

“We will defer to the FBI on any specific details which may possibly be released at a later date as we fully respect the investigative process, but our initial emergency medical response was appropriate and it appears that this was indeed a medical situation that sadly resulted in the death of a guest,” it added.

Carnival did not elaborate on why it made that determination.

In an earlier statement, company rep Matt Lupoli told CNN that “both the deceased and her husband were debarked in Nassau and Bahamian authorities have already investigated the circumstances and are conducting an autopsy.”

Bahamian authorities have not released further information.

The FBI and Carnival did not immediately respond to requests for comment by The Post.