Male Passenger, 48, Arrested for ‘Suspected Homicide’ Aboard Cruise Ship That Returned to Texas Port

A stock photo of the MSC Seascape cruise ship; Jason WatfordCredit: Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty; Galveston County Sheriff's Office

Jason Watford was taken into custody on a federal hold after the MSC Seascape ship docked in Galveston, Texas, on Monday, Nov. 9 amid an FBI-led investigation into a “suspected homicide”

The 48-year-old has been arrested and booked into jail, according to records obtained by PEOPLE

The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office said the victim was a woman and that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, but has not shared any further information

A male passenger has been arrested in connection with what the FBI called a ”suspected homicide” on a cruise ship that returned to port in Texas earlier this week.

Hours after the MSC Seascape cruise ship docked in Galveston on Monday, Nov. 9, Jason Watford, 48, was taken into custody. According to jail records obtained by PEOPLE, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office arrested Watford and booked him into the Galveston County Jail on a federal hold.

The FBI’s Houston field office confirmed in a Facebook post that an individual had been taken into custody, but did not name Watford, pending notification of the victim’s family.

Jason WatfordCredit: Galveston County Sheriff's Office

The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office told ABC News that Watford’s alleged cruise ship victim was a woman, but did not release any further identifiable information. An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the office said.

According to court records from Smith County, Texas, obtained by PEOPLE, Watford was previously arrested for assault on a family member in August 2024, and was sentenced to 15 months of probation with 30 hours of community service that November.

Neither the FBI nor the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office has disclosed the nature of Watford’s new charges, and additional details have yet to be released.

On Monday, the FBI said in an X post that it was coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Port of Galveston Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in its investigation into what it called a “suspected homicide.”

A stock photo of the MSC Seascape cruise shipCredit: Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty

An MSC Cruises spokesperson previously confirmed to PEOPLE that it was working with authorities.

“On reporting a guest incident aboard our ship, we were instructed by the authorities to return to the Port of Galveston,” the spokesperson said. “We are cooperating fully with the investigation and providing support to those impacted. The ship has left the port and resumed its planned itinerary.”

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According to the company’s website, the Seascape ship primarily embarks on 5- and 7-night trips through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, taking in destinations including Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico and Roatán in Honduras, before returning to Galveston.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office and Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Source: Crime