Toddler Dies After Grandfather Dangles Her From Cruise Ship

Puerto Rico authorities say the man lost his grip on Indiana girl
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2019 10:20 AM CDT
Toddler Dies After Grandfather Dangles Her From Cruise Ship
Passengers of the Freedom of the Seas cruise ship, operated by Royal Caribbean, look out from their stateroom balconies while arriving in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in this June 20, 2007, file photo.   (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, file)

A family cruise turned tragic Sunday afternoon when an 18-month-old girl died after her grandfather dangled her outside an 11th-story window on the ship and then lost his grip. Authorities tell the AP the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the time. Fox News, citing Puerto Rico's Primera Hora newspaper, reports that the Indiana toddler apparently fell 150 feet and landed on concrete. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

"It's a very grave scene, very regrettable and tragic," a public security official in Puerto Rico tells Primera Hora, per CBS News. "One of the grandfathers, whom it would appear was playing with the little girl, lifted her out of the open window and lost his grip." He says she hit an awning first before landing on the dock. She was reportedly traveling with her parents and younger brother, as well as both her maternal and paternal grandparents. An investigation is ongoing, and officials are interviewing witnesses, Sky News reports. (A teenager died in a cruise ship fall earlier this year.)

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