According to the FBI, an investigation of a suspicious death of a female passenger onboard the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship is underway.

The woman was found unresponsive during the ship's voyage to Nassau, Bahamas, on February 27th. Despite the medical staff and crew's efforts to revive her, the woman was pronounced dead on the ship.

The Carnival Sunshine cruise liner returned to Charleston, South Carolina, on March 4th. The Evidence Response Team of the FBI field office in Columbia, South Carolina conducted a search of the passenger's room. 

The FBI investigates suspicious deaths of US nationals as well as "certain crimes on the high seas." 

As the Carnival Sunshine carries a Bahamian flag, the FBI is required to cooperate with local authorities on the case.

The deceased passenger and her husband were taken off the ship in the Bahamas, where an autopsy will take place. The FBI joined Carnival Sunshine upon its return to Charleston to conduct an investigation into the death of a guest.

 The Carnival Cruise Line has stated that they are fully cooperating with the authorities in the Bahamas and Charleston, and they have no further comments on the matter.

According to CruiseMapper tracking, the Carnival Sunshine departed from Charleston on February 27th and arrived in Nassau on March 1st. It is due to return to Charleston on Thursday, March 9th.

Suspicious death on a cruise ship

According to a report in the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health between 2000 and 2019, there were 623 reported deaths on cruise liners.  89 percent of these were passengers.

 The most common reasons for passenger deaths were falls (either overboard or onto another deck), cardiac arrests, and suicides. 

Meanwhile, suicide, murder, and falls were the leading causes of crew deaths. The study found that the largest proportion of deaths in the time period, 29 percent, occurred on Carnival cruise liners.

The FBI has jurisdiction to investigate potential crimes and suspicious deaths when the ship is US-owned, like the Carnival Sunshine. The FBI is also permitted to investigate if the ship is in US waters, or if it was departing or arriving in an American port.

The investigation into the death of the Carnival Sunshine passenger is ongoing. And authorities cannot provide more details during an active investigation. 

The FBI has announced that the guest's death was an isolated incident, and no other passengers were at risk.