FL FL - Kevin McGrath, 26, missing from a cruise ship, Miami, 4 Sept 2023

[Kakidoll]

I never scanned the cards. You had to hand it to the staff, who scanned it and compared the photo on the screen to you. They’re staff scanning the card counted. The turnstile was a backup. Additionally you had to go through a security scan.

where have you ever seen a turnstile? They don't take the cards out of your hand... its a supermarket type scanner and you are done in 2 seconds. Half they time they do not look at pic if you come back at a busy time... they are more worried about you bringing booze back on. And they have at least 2 lines going at one time on bigger ships now. My photo looks nothing like me anymore. Every now and then a bartender will mention it, but i stand behind you can get off or on if you try without being noticed. Also, with his probation, if he did NOT get permission, there are sometimes police at the port ready to arrest you as you get off the ship. Have seen this many times. The passenger lists are available to LEO. Sometimes they will send security to wait outside the persons stateroom to 'escort' them off. If family at home knew that was going to happen and warned them, could explain all the different times for the last night. Figuring out what to do. OR not getting back on in Binimi. Who besides family saw him? Who would protect him?

 

[Kakidoll]

Most recent was 2019.
I absolutely agree glitches are possible. Statistically thought, what are the chances a rare glitch happened at the same time he was trying to sneak off the ship?
I would start looking to how they dispose of trash when they get in port. Did that ship have sensors? Simpler avenues that don’t involve an elaborate conspiracy. JMOO

Just got off a ship last week. Conquest does NOT have all the cameras the newer ships do but is still a large ship. I don't know about sensors. Its also easy to hide in certain areas. It also has 'tucked away' areas some people never find. The 'secret' deck areas. I don't think it was a glitch, i think he talked someone into helping him. I do think this was of his own choosing. I've joked about staying on one of the islands before.... and have enough crew friends now that don't think it would be all that hard. Heck, i even have a Carnival 'crew' card as a memento from years ago

 

[SleuthyQ]

How? 2 people get off, 1 person gets back on is always going to equal -1 and trigger flags. Having been to multiple destinations and seen the way the handle security, I stand by the fact that in my Carnival experience they could not have gotten away with anything without inside help.

We cruise pretty regularly and have primarily cruised with Carnival. We have been behind large and small groups before where one person had a handful of sign and sail cards and said something like I have them for all of these people and they just kind of randomly point to the people around them. People are always waiting until the last minute to pull something out of their bag or put something in their bag and can create quite a bottleneck. Plus, when you are coming back on the ship after being out in the heat all day that cold air blowing out of the door onto the gangway sure does feel good. Folks will cram up in there close sometimes just to get in that cold air. LOL

 

[megs1477]

Just got off a ship last week. Conquest does NOT have all the cameras the newer ships do but is still a large ship. I don't know about sensors. Its also easy to hide in certain areas. It also has 'tucked away' areas some people never find. The 'secret' deck areas. I don't think it was a glitch, i think he talked someone into helping him. I do think this was of his own choosing. I've joked about staying on one of the islands before.... and have enough crew friends now that don't think it would be all that hard. Heck, i even have a Carnival 'crew' card as a memento from years ago

Stowing away then sneaking off at another port not on your original itinerary would be pretty genius.

 

[JennieM]

I asked early on if he and his twin brother are identical. They could have done a creative switcheroo or used their similar appearance to avoid a scan or traded badges.

Kevin McGrath (left), and his twin brother, Andre (right)
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA CAMACHO

There is a photo of them together here:

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

Sean McGrath's son, Kevin McGrath of Port St. Lucie, disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend.

eu.palmbeachpost.com

 

[JennieM]

Ship staff and security searched the ship but were unsuccessful, Miami-Dade Police Department officials reported after Kevin McGrath disappeared.

The ship’s overboard detection system never went off, and there is no other evidence that Kevin McGrath went overboard, according to the MDPD.

Police spokesman Alvaro A. Zabaleta on Monday said the agency’s Missing Persons Unit “continues to work closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and Carnival Cruise Line, to obtain information that could develop viable leads that will assist in the investigation.”

Citing the ongoing investigation, Zabeleta declined to say whether police officials have obtained or reviewed video Carnival cameras recorded aboard the Conquest.

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

Sean McGrath's son, Kevin McGrath of Port St. Lucie, disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend.

eu.palmbeachpost.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

Kevin was reported missing when he did not show up for breakfast with family members.

This bugs me - what about when he wasn’t in the cabin room when his brother first woke up? As posters have said upthread, the timeline of his sightings throughout the night before and into the morning of his reported disappearance - are very cloudy.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I could understand jumping ship if he was in another country. But he was seen onboard during that final night at sea. So why jump once they're back in Miami? He could have simply walked off the ship normally and then disappeared. I don't really get what going through all this would buy him.

If he walked off the ship in Miami, and had violated probation, he could be a considered a scofflaw, or possibly even a fugitive.

If he went missing while onboard the ship, he’s viewed as a possible victim.

Changes the course of the investigation, at least temporarily.

jmo

 

[ch_13]

View attachment 447750
Kevin McGrath (left), and his twin brother, Andre (right)
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MELISSA CAMACHO

There is a photo of them together here:

Father of Port St. Lucie man missing from cruise ship: 'We basically just want some answers'

Sean McGrath's son, Kevin McGrath of Port St. Lucie, disappeared from a Carnival cruise ship over Labor Day weekend.

eu.palmbeachpost.com

Kevin is on videotape dancing during that final evening before he went missing. Judging by the hair length in the below screenshot, that's definitely Kevin and not his brother.




Here's another picture of the two of them together. Kevin appears much taller than his brother. This looks like it was also taken theatfinal night as Kevin is wearing the same shirt. (It was only a weekend cruise, so I doubt he planned on re-wearing any clothing.)

 

[ch_13]

If he walked off the ship in Miami, and had violated probation, he could be a considered a scofflaw, or possibly even a fugitive.

If he went missing while onboard the ship, he’s viewed as a possible victim.

Changes the course of the investigation, at least temporarily.

jmo

There were no cops waiting to arrest him at the port. In fact, unless he self-reported to his probation officer that he committed a violation, I'm not sure how the authorities would even be aware of this excursion. Once he got off the ship he would have been home-free.

But for some reason if he was worried about violating probation and wanted to disappear, he could have just walked off the ship normally, got in his car and driven away. No one would have been the wiser. Eventually a court may have put out a warrant for his arrest. But people walk around with active warrants every day. And if he left the state it's unlikely anyone would even pursue him for some relatively low level offenses.

Instead, now Kevin's name and face are plastered across the media nationwide. The authorities know about his excursion and he's got the cops, the feds and everyone else out looking for him. I live halfway across the country and I would probably recognize him now if I saw him on the street.

I respect everyone's opinion, but I just can't see how any of this supposed cloak-and-dagger stuff makes sense. And from what little we know of him I don't believe he has the resources, connections, or guile that he would need to successfully pull off a ruse of this sort.

IMO, the simplest explanation is the most likely: at some point during the night or in the early morning hours he went overboard and likely drowned.

 

[steeltowngirl]

There were no cops waiting to arrest him at the port. In fact, unless he self-reported to his probation officer that he committed a violation, I'm not sure how the authorities would even be aware of this excursion. Once he got off the ship he would have been home-free.

But for some reason if he was worried about violating probation and wanted to disappear, he could have just walked off the ship normally, got in his car and driven away. No one would have been the wiser. Eventually a court may have put out a warrant for his arrest. But people walk around with active warrants every day. And if he left the state it's unlikely anyone would even pursue him for some relatively low level offenses.

Instead, now Kevin's name and face are plastered across the media nationwide. The authorities know about his excursion and he's got the cops, the feds and everyone else out looking for him. I live halfway across the country and I would probably recognize him now if I saw him on the street.

I respect everyone's opinion, but I just can't see how any of this supposed cloak-and-dagger stuff makes sense. And from what little we know of him I don't believe he has the resources, connections, or guile that he would need to successfully pull off a ruse of this sort.

IMO, the simplest explanation is the most likely: at some point during the night or in the early morning hours he went overboard and likely drowned.

You are describing the logical thought process of a rational person. We have no way of knowing if KM was thinking rationally. Does the cloak-and-dagger stuff make sense? Of course not. Yet here we are, considering all possibilities, as we tend to do here on a crime sleuthing site.

That said, I agree with you, the most likely explanation is that KM went overboard.

jmo

 

[IceIce9]

There were no cops waiting to arrest him at the port. In fact, unless he self-reported to his probation officer that he committed a violation, I'm not sure how the authorities would even be aware of this excursion. Once he got off the ship he would have been home-free.

But for some reason if he was worried about violating probation and wanted to disappear, he could have just walked off the ship normally, got in his car and driven away. No one would have been the wiser. Eventually a court may have put out a warrant for his arrest. But people walk around with active warrants every day. And if he left the state it's unlikely anyone would even pursue him for some relatively low level offenses.

Instead, now Kevin's name and face are plastered across the media nationwide. The authorities know about his excursion and he's got the cops, the feds and everyone else out looking for him. I live halfway across the country and I would probably recognize him now if I saw him on the street.

I respect everyone's opinion, but I just can't see how any of this supposed cloak-and-dagger stuff makes sense. And from what little we know of him I don't believe he has the resources, connections, or guile that he would need to successfully pull off a ruse of this sort.

IMO, the simplest explanation is the most likely: at some point during the night or in the early morning hours he went overboard and likely drowned.

One thought is that if he “disappeared” while on the ship everyone would think he drowned and he could start over somewhere else.

This is a puzzling case so all options are worth discussing. JMO

 

[ch_13]

You are describing the logical thought process of a rational person. We have no way of knowing if KM was thinking rationally. Does the cloak-and-dagger stuff make sense? Of course not. Yet here we are, considering all possibilities, as we tend to do here on a crime sleuthing site.

That said, I agree with you, the most likely explanation is that KM went overboard.

jmo

Sure, irrational people come up with schemes all the time. But can they successfully carry out those schemes?

Especially a scheme that requires fooling the Customs and Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, the Miami Dade PD, the staff of the Carnival cruise ship, perhaps his own family, as well as all the other people who have been involved in trying to find him.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Sure, irrational people come up with schemes all the time. But can they successfully carry out those schemes?

Especially a scheme that requires fooling the Customs and Border Patrol, the Coast Guard, the Miami Dade PD, the staff of the Carnival cruise ship, perhaps his own family, as well as all the other people who have been involved in trying to find him.

Happens all the time. Schemes get carried out, but more often than not, the scheme catches up with them. Look at the Kaitlin Armstrong disappearance (Moriah Wilson case). Sherri Papini. Chloe Stein, who faked a disappearance just to hide the fact she had dropped out of college. Jennifer Wilbanks, runaway bride who faked a kidnapping.

 

[ch_13]

Happens all the time. Schemes get carried out, but more often than not, the scheme catches up with them. Look at the Kaitlin Armstrong disappearance (Moriah Wilson case). Sherri Papini. Chloe Stein, who faked a disappearance just to hide the fact she had dropped out of college. Jennifer Wilbanks, runaway bride who faked a kidnapping.

The wrinkle here is that Kevin was in an enclosed space and had to get past a well-guarded barrier to get off the ship but without anyone seeing him or being caught on camera. To pull that off takes planning and know-how and probably inside connections.

It's not the same as someone hiding away for a few days pretending like they were kidnapped.

 

[JennieM]

Apologies if this was already shared, but this man went overboard a Carnival cruise with no one noticing back in 2022.

After looking for him around the ship to no avail, she said, she notified the cruise line, which began an hourslong search that ended with the U.S. Coast Guard rescuing 29-year-old Grimes from the water later that day around 8:30 p.m. after he had gone overboard.

James Michael Grimes spent approximately 20 hours stranded at sea.

Grimes, who was found about 20 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, told PEOPLE magazine in December that he remembered having some drinks and winning an air-guitar competition before waking up in the water. He did not respond to interview requests from USA TODAY.

While the incident ended with his safe return to shore, it raised questions about cruise ship overboard detection systems – a new technology that aims to cut down on response time and notify the crew as soon as someone goes overboard.

Although unlikely, it is not impossible that Kevin went overboard.

What are cruise ship overboard detection systems and why doesn't every ship have them?

Cruise ship overboard detection aim to cut down the response time when someone goes overboard. So, why doesn't every ship have them?

eu.usatoday.com

Carnival passenger James Grimes reveals how he survived 20 hours overboard

James Michael Grimes told ABC News on Friday that he has no idea how he fell off the Carnival Valor ship and plunged into the shark-infested waters of the Gulf of Mexico the night of Nov. 23.

nypost.com

 

[IceIce9]

The wrinkle here is that Kevin was in an enclosed space and had to get past a well-guarded barrier to get off the ship but without anyone seeing him or being caught on camera. To pull that off takes planning and know-how and probably inside connections.

It's not the same as someone hiding away for a few days pretending like they were kidnapped.

People frequently board planes without scanning their phone or ticket. I travel for work, and quite a few times a flight has been delayed because someone has boarded the plane by walking past the gate agent and just walking onto the plane. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. If it isn’t a full flight sometimes the extra person isn’t even noticed.

 

[OldCop]

Thanks to those who shared the court documents. This certainly puts KM's "disappearance" in a new light. I've been wondering why the family hasn't sued Carnival since they seem convinced that the cruise line is somehow responsible for Kevin being missing. To the best of my knowledge, the family hasn't been pursued by a local attorney to file a lawsuit - maybe because attorneys are aware of KM's criminal record and suspect that he jumped overboard to avoid consequences or is on the run. JMO

They may have elected not to sue because they don’t want anyone digging too deep into this disappearance. MOO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Kevin was reported missing when he did not show up for breakfast with family members.

This bugs me - what about when he wasn’t in the cabin room when his brother first woke up? As posters have said upthread, the timeline of his sightings throughout the night before and into the morning of his reported disappearance - are very cloudy.

More like pea soup fog While I wouldn't necessarily expect Andre to be his brother's keeper during the cruise, it seems that he should be most aware of Kevin's comings and goings since they shared a cabin. Presumably, Kevin would have been in the stateroom overnight to get some sleep. He would have returned to the stateroom at times to use the bathroom, shower, brush his teeth, change clothes, etc. I hope that AM has been much more forthcoming about KM's whereabouts with Carnival personnel, FBI, Coast Guard, and/or Miami PD than he has with the media. JMO

 

[SleuthyQ]

Kevin is on videotape dancing during that final evening before he went missing. Judging by the hair length in the below screenshot, that's definitely Kevin and not his brother.

View attachment 447838


Here's another picture of the two of them together. Kevin appears much taller than his brother. This looks like it was also taken theatfinal night as Kevin is wearing the same shirt. (It was only a weekend cruise, so I doubt he planned on re-wearing any clothing.)

The person that found the video, a complete stranger, and shared it with the family online stated that the video was from Saturday night, not Sunday night. The news reported it incorrectly. I have a screenshot where it was shared from the original poster online but since it is from Social I do not believe I am allowed to share it.