{"id":472377,"date":"2026-09-22T22:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/472377\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T22:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:40:17","slug":"socal-bound-carnival-cruise-ship-passenger-lost-at-sea-idd-as-father-of-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/472377\/","title":{"rendered":"SoCal-bound Carnival cruise ship passenger lost at sea ID\u2019d as father of 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard<\/a> has been identified as a 56-year-old father of three who was on his anniversary trip when he vanished in the ocean.<\/p>\n

Thomas Gigler, who was reportedly marking the milestone with wife Michelle, 48, was sailing aboard the Carnival Panorama when he is understood to have jumped on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The California computer programmer, who spent 24 years working for Esri, is believed to have gone off the 11th deck as it traveled from Mexico towards Long Beach.<\/p>\n

Thomas Gigler, who was reportedly marking the milestone with wife Michelle, 48, was sailing aboard the Carnival Panorama when he is understood to have jumped on Saturday. Facebook\/Michelle Gigler<\/p>\n

The California computer programmer, who spent 24 years working for Esri, is believed to have gone off the 11th deck as it traveled from Mexico towards Long Beach. Facebook\/Michelle Gigler<\/p>\n

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His family raised the alarm after he could not be found. Authorities continue to search for Gigler, who is presumed dead.<\/p>\n

The US and Mexican Coast Guards continued searching the area, with the Coast Guard conducting aerial searches while the Mexican Navy and nearby commercial vessels also joined the effort.<\/p>\n

Gigler\u2019s family has been left struggling to understand what happened. His sister, Wendy Dowden, pushed back on a fellow passenger\u2019s claim that he had spoken about problems in his marriage during a conversation at the ship\u2019s Alchemy Bar the night before his disappearance.<\/p>\n

A Carnival cruise passenger who went overboard has been identified as a 56-year-old father of three who was on his anniversary trip when he vanished in the ocean. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Dowden told the Daily Mail <\/a>that her brother and Michelle \u201cwere getting along quite well,\u201d rejecting the suggestion that marital problems had driven him to jump.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, his family believes something unexpected may have happened to Gigler shortly before he went overboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think something must have happened in his head. He wasn\u2019t in his right mind to have done this,\u201d Dowden said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The family said Gigler had no known history of mental illness. The couple lived with their three sons in Redlands, California, about 64 miles east of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

A video shared on Facebook by another passenger aboard the ship captured an announcement to those on board about the ongoing search.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have yet to locate the missing guest. Our fleet operation in Miami and appropriate authorities have been notified,\u201d a cruise official appears to say in the video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, we continue for the family and friends. Our search efforts continue and we will keep you informed. Thank you again for the cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement appeared to ask passengers for their continued cooperation as the cruise line coordinated with authorities and continued searching for the missing passenger.<\/p>\n

Another video shared<\/a> to Facebook by passenger Misty Hernandez showed fellow passengers coming together to remember the man, with a small memorial display covered with handwritten messages, prayers and other tributes for his family and friends.<\/p>\n

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