Juneau police have identified the crew member that went missing off a cruise ship in Juneau waters on Monday night.
Police say it was a 31-year-old man from Tennessee named Lorenzo Anthony Holmes Jr. He was an entertainer on Holland America’s Koningsdam, where he’d worked since May.
Authorities say video on board captured a person climbing over the ship’s railing. Eyewitnesses on another cruise ship saw something fall into the water, followed by calls for help. Holland America said on Tuesday that it was likely the man went overboard “intentionally.”
The Coast Guard searched the area but didn’t find anyone.
Juneau Police Lt. Krag Campbell says that for now, the incident is being treated like a missing person case.
“Without a body, you know, there’d be nothing to go to the medical examiner’s office,” Campbell said. “They wouldn’t make any ruling.”
Campbell said that because the eyewitnesses and ships are in motion, investigating will take some extra coordination. The police will document their findings, which could help the court system declare a legal death without the body.
Holland America said it’s offering counseling services to affected team members and guests.
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Jeremy Hsieh is the deputy managing editor of the KTOO newsroom in Juneau. He’s a podcast fiend who’s worked in journalism since high school as a reporter, editor and television producer. He ran Gavel Alaska for 360 North from 2011 to 2016, and is big on experimenting with novel tools and mediums (including the occasional animated gif) to tell stories and demystify the news. Jeremy’s an East Coast transplant who moved to Juneau in 2008.
