Death of New York Executive Who Drowned on Yacht Trip Under Investigation

Aug. 12, 2013— -- An investigation is under way into the death of a New York City executive who fell overboard in the middle of the night while on a weekend yacht trip with her husband.

Ninive Petrocelli, 39, was reported missing from a 45-foot yacht around midnight on Sunday by her husband, John Petrocelli, 54, according to Suffolk County police.

The couple was spending the weekend boating off New York's Montauk Point, a popular summer playground for the rich and famous, when police said John Petrocelli realized his wife was not on board the vessel and called for help.

The United States Coast Guard searched the area but was unable to immediately locate Petrocelli. Her body was spotted floating in the Atlantic Ocean at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, several miles from where she apparently went missing, police said.

Petrocelli's death is being investigated by Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives and the East Hampton Town Police Department. An official told ABCNews.com the death appears to be an accident and that John Petrocelli has been cooperative.

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office is expected to rule on an official cause of death.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Ninive Petrocelli owned Cristol Inc., a global distributor of architectural glass.

Her husband, John Petrocelli, is the co-owner of John Petrocelli Construction, a high-end firm headquartered in Palisades Park, N.J.

The company has worked on several luxury apartment building projects, including the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, according to the company's website.