Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Cruise Ship Passenger
Rescue crews suspended search for Samantha Broberg on Sunday.
— -- The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for a missing cruise ship passenger in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday evening.
Samantha Broberg, 33, was reported missing from the Carnival "Liberty" on Friday, approximately 200 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
The ship docked back in Galveston earlier today.
Crews searched for 20 hours and covered more than 4,300 square miles, according to a Coast Guard statement.
After Broberg was reported missing by her travel companions, a ship-wide search was conducted, and the ship's camera footage was reviewed, Carnival said.
The cruise line said that at approximately 2 a.m. Friday, Broberg climbed on a deck railing on the 10th deck of the ship and fell backward into the Gulf of Mexico, but the Coast Guard was not contacted until 5 p.m. Friday, after her disappearance was confirmed.
The woman's family released a statement Saturday asking for privacy.
"We hope and pray the U.S. Coast Guard is able to bring Samantha home," the statement said.