GALVESTON, Texas — The FBI released the name of the woman who died on board the MSC Seascape.
The agency identified the woman as Susan Watford, the wife of Jason Watford, who is charged with her murder, The Associated Press reported.
FBI spokesperson Connor Hagan said there was a child who was not hurt.
A Child Protective Services spokesperson told KPRC the child is in foster care. It is not known if the child was inside the cabin during the incident, KHOU reported.
Jason Watford told FBI agents that he and his wife got on the ship together on Sunday and had argued at dinner. The argument continued to the room, where he said he hit her several times and “applied pressure” to her neck.
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A housekeeper knocked on the cabin door, and when he answered it, he had blood on his hands and clothes, according to court records. The housekeeper saw a woman on the floor with facial injuries and contacted the ship’s crew. An investigator on the ship contacted the authorities, the AP reported.
The Galveston County medical examiner performed an autopsy and confirmed her death was a homicide, KHOU reported.
Jason Watford was taken into FBI custody on Monday morning when the ship returned to port in Galveston, Texas.
He had been arrested in 2024 after an argument with his wife. Susan Watford told police that he had grabbed her wrist during an argument. She also had recorded audio in which her husband can be heard getting aggravated as she yelled at him to back off. Court records said she used a stun gun on him. Jason Watford pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury to a family member and was sentenced to community supervision for 15 months.
Watford is in custody and has a hearing scheduled for next week, KPRC reported.