Lynsey O'Brien
Date: January 5 , 2006
Cruise Bruise: Missing
Bruise Location: At Sea 26 miles from the Caribbean Island of Isla Mujeres
Age: 15
Home Town: Terenure, Ireland (south of Dublin)
Cruise Line: Costa Cruises - Carnival Cruise Lines
Ship: Costa Magica
Attorney: Jayne Weintraub
Reward: €205,000 for anyone who helps recover her body so they can have a proper burial.
Details:
Lynsey O'Brien was from Terenure, Ireland
She was on a cruise with her parents, two brothers, and 11 year old sister, Imelda.
She was a student at Loreto high School, Beaufort, in Dublin
Passengers reported they could hear kids partying in the cabin. Security came up at least 3 times to her cabin. A passenger claimed the young girl was extremely drunk. They and other passengers called security many times because of the noise.
Around 10:30pm some children in the O'Brien party saw Lynsey at a bar on the back of ship being served drinks. She was in the bar using her ship charge card, that was clearly marked as a Children's Charge Card.
Durning the course of the night, her card record shows she was served 12 vodka mixed drinks. (far more than enough to make a full size adult legally drunk)
When the children saw Lynsey, they went looking for an adult in the O'Brien party, Brian Mulvaney. Brian Mulvaney alerted her parents, and the adults got the children back into their cabins, and called security, wanting to know how it was possible this bartender served drinks to their daughter on her childrens charge card.
By midnight, everything had settled down. A couple hours later, around 2:10am Lynsey was out on the balcony of her cabin, vomiting, and fell over the railing.
Passengers report hearing Imelda screaming down the hall, she was screaming that her sister fell overboard. Imelda alerted her parents and a search was initiated. One passenger heard Imeda tell security that Lynsey got in a fight with her boyfriend earlier and also that the bar cut her off.
A passenger reported they saw her fall overboard.
Shortly after she went overboard, passengers threw lighted life vests into the water, the ship reversed direction, at the direction of Captian G. Russo and a search was undertaken.
According to photographs taken by passengers, the Mexican Coast Guard and the ship launched search and rescue vessels at the first light of day, but Lynsey wasn't found.
She is presumed dead having falling approximately 30 to 40 meters into the water (100 130 feet). The fall alone would have killed her.
The accident happened in the Caribbean, off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, in the Gulf Of Mexico.
The ship left Fort Lauderdale New Year's Day on a week-long Western Caribbean itinerary.
There is an investigation pending.
Lynsey O'Brien
Passenger Overboard On Cruise Ship
Carnival Costa Cruise Lines - January 5, 2006
