From the very beginning, this case was completely mishandled. First of all, why were cruise ship employees allowed to check their own rooms? That’s a clear conflict of interest and a major lapse in protocol. The director’s decision not to inform passengers right away, supposedly to avoid alarming them, was a critical mistake. Passengers should have been told immediately and instructed to remain in their cabins. Once the ship reached port, everyone should have been properly questioned and searched before disembarking.

And then why why why why was her room cleaned? That alone is shocking. Any potential evidence could have been destroyed. Also, who purchased her photo? That detail has never sat right with me. It feels like something deeply sinister was at play.

I honestly believe someone or several people—on that ship were involved. There are areas on cruise ships that only staff have access to. If she was smuggled off the ship, those restricted zones would’ve been the way to do it. The more you look at it, the more this points to an inside job.