Cruise ends in Texas after woman killed on board

They had embarked on a seven-day cruise in the Western Caribbean, which ultimately lasted only 24 hours. Last Sunday, 5,000 people boarded the MSC Seascape in Galveston, Texas, to explore Mexico and Honduras. The vacationers were still far from suspecting the drama that was going to unfold in one of the 2,270 cabins on the ship.

It was only a few hours after departure that everything changed. According to elements of the investigation revealed by the FBI and relayed by the American agency Associated Press, a couple of passengers, Jason Watford, 48, and his wife Susan, began to argue during a dinner in one of the liner's restaurants. The quarrel then continued in their cabin until the man "snapped."

"The suspect stated that he and Victim #1 continued to engage in an increasingly violent verbal argument that caused him to 'lose his temper,'" says an FBI affidavit released Tuesday. Jason Watford also told officers that he hit his wife several times and “put pressure” on her neck until she died. The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that the victim died from "blunt force trauma."

A child belonging to the family involved

Video surveillance images from the ship allowed investigators to reconstruct part of the timeline. Jason Watford entered the cabin at 7:46 p.m. His wife joined him about 25 minutes later. Shortly after 9 p.m., a cleaning lady, who came to drop off towels, knocked on their door. When he opened it, the forty-year-old had blood on his hands and clothes. Inside, the employee saw Susan lying face down and motionless with several injuries to her face.

At 9:15 p.m., surveillance cameras show Jason Watford leaving the cabin, wearing a different shirt and pants than those he was wearing minutes earlier. He then sits on the floor in the hallway to check his phone. In the meantime, members of the ship's security were alerted and took charge of the situation. A company investigator finally contacted American authorities to report the discovery of the body.

A child belonging to the family, also present on board and described as being “involved in the situation” in the first elements of the investigation, was found safe and sound by the police. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services later assured that the minor was now safe and had been placed in foster care.

Faced with the seriousness of the facts, the ship received orders from the authorities to turn around and return to the port of Galveston. It finally docked Monday, November 9 in the morning. “As is typical for crimes committed aboard a cruise ship, an FBI maritime liaison officer, attached to the Texas City field office, coordinates with the United States Coast Guard, the Galveston Port Police Department, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Service and the cruise line,” specifies the FBI field office in Houston in a press release.

Jason Watford was arrested and taken into custody upon his return to Galveston. In a video taken by a passenger on the MSC Seascape on Monday, a man can be seen being escorted off the ship in handcuffs. The FBI opened a homicide investigation, while the suspect was charged with murder. According to court records viewed by the Associated Press, the man is not unknown to police.

Originally from Tyler, Texas, Jason Watford was previously arrested in September 2024 following a report from his wife, Susan, who accused him of assaulting her during an argument in Smith County, about 100 miles east of Dallas. The victim, who had managed to record the scene, managed to escape by using a stun gun. The forty-year-old finally pleaded guilty and received 15 months of probation, accompanied by 30 hours of community service, according to court documents.

The cruise ship resumed its planned route on Monday. MSC Cruises said in a statement that it was cooperating with authorities and providing support to those affected. “As the investigation is still ongoing, we cannot release further details. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the passenger during this difficult time,” the company continues.

Homicides committed on cruise ships remain relatively rare. The MSC Seascape affair, however, recalls another tragedy that occurred almost a year ago to the day aboard a Carnival Cruise Line liner. In November 2025, Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old American woman, was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon, while it was sailing in international waters towards Miami, Florida.

Her body was discovered hidden under a bed in a cabin she shared with two other teenagers, including her 16-year-old step-brother. The autopsy concluded that he died of mechanical asphyxiation. After several months of investigations, the young man was indicted in April by a federal grand jury for first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin on January 25, 2027 in federal court in Miami.