Alaska News

Coast Guard suspends search for Tennessee man missing from cruise ship near Juneau

Update: 2:20 p.m. Thursday: The man who was reported missing from a cruise ship near Juneau earlier this week has been identified as a Tennessee resident.

The Holland America Line cruise ship, the Koningsdam, identified the man who went overboard as Lorenzo Anthony Holmes Jr., 31, Juneau police said in a statement Wednesday.

The cruise company had previously said Holmes was a crew member on board the vessel. He was an entertainer who had been working on the ship since May, police wrote.

His family has been notified, and police said an investigation is still ongoing.

Original story:

JUNEAU — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a man who was reported missing from a cruise ship late Monday near Juneau and believed to have gone overboard.

A statement from Holland America Line Tuesday said the man was a crew member on the vessel Koningsdam and reported missing shortly after the ship had left Juneau.

ADVERTISEMENT

“A review of closed-circuit TV footage indicated the man likely went overboard intentionally,” the statement said.

The U.S. Coast Guard was notified and began searching with the help of another ship, the Eurodam, the statement said. “Both ships remained in the area for several hours as the search continued before being released by the Coast Guard in the early hours of the morning,” the statement said.

“All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time,” the statement said. “We are offering counseling services to team members and guests who may have been affected by this incident.”

The Coast Guard said Tuesday afternoon that it had suspended its search. The Coast Guard said the missing man is 31 years old. The agency, in a statement, also said the cause of the incident is under investigation.

The Coast Guard said it was notified late Monday by crew from the Eurodam who reported “hearing shouting coming from the water.”

ADVERTISEMENT