Love turned tragic on high seas

May 11th, 2013

A search for the couple who went overboard from a cruise ship on the NSW north coast has been called off.

Paul Rossington / Pic: Facebook
Source: Supplied

VIDEO footage from aboard the Carnival Spirit cruise liner appears to show a young woman jump from the deck before her panic-stricken boyfriend follows her over the railing about 20 seconds later.

A description of the security footage was given by police yesterday as they called off their forlorn search for paramedic Paul Rossington, 30, and his real estate agent girlfriend Kristen Schroder, 27.

The couple was last night presumed dead, more than 48 hours after plunging from the ship. Detectives who spent yesterday enhancing and analysing surveillance footage from the ship said Ms Schroder appeared to jump from the mid-deck, followed a short time later by Mr Rossington.

A police source said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the couple’s fall and they were investigating the possibility Ms Schroder jumped and her boyfriend tried to rescue her.

The Sydney-bound ship was approximately 120km off Forster on the NSW mid-north coast when the pair went overboard around 8.30pm on Wednesday. It wasn’t until the liner docked in Sydney on Thursday morning, more than 12 hours later, that they were discovered missing.

Ms Schroder’s family released a statement late Friday night thanking authorities for their efforts searching for her.

The family “wishes to thank everyone involved in the search for both Paul and Kristen,” the brief statement reads.

“We would appreciate privacy and understanding while we come to terms with our beautiful girl’s tragic accident.”

Friends of the pair said they had just moved to Barraba in country NSW, near Tamworth. Ms Schroder worked in Sydney as a real estate agent until a few months ago when she returned to her home town.

Mr Rossington had been a paramedic for the past five years. They were on holiday with Ms Schroder’s parents Reg and Roxene Dennis, her sister Dee Peruoco and brother Aaron Dennis, as well as their partners. Police said the relatives assumed Mr Rossington and Ms Schroder were in their cabin, and did not realise they were missing until they failed to get off the boat.

Neighbours of Ms Schroder’s parents Reg and Roxene, who live in Bingara, said the missing girl’s parents had been looking forward to the trip for months.

“They said they were going on a tropical holiday with their three kids … they’d been talking about it for a good while, they were looking forward to the break,” neighbour Kathleen said.

Kristen Schroder / Pic: Katrina Tepper
Source: The Daily Telegraph

On Facebook, Ms Schroder’s sister Dee posted a photograph of the family enjoying the sun in Vanuatu on May 3, just days before the tragedy.

“Chillin’ at the beach bar in Vanuatu,” Ms Peruoco wrote.

The family were holed up yesterday at Mr Rossington’s parents’ Belmore home, in Sydney’s southwest, desperately hoping for a miracle, as a search and rescue operation continued about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Forster.

Kristen Schroder and Paul Rossington / Pic: Facebook
Source: The Daily Telegraph

Dozens of police, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the navy spent the day scouring a 500 nautical mile area. But the search was called off last night.

“If we hear of any sightings, then the search is back on,” a police spokesman said.

On a NSW Ambulance Service Facebook page paying tribute to Mr Rossington, his father Richard thanked people for their kind words: “We thank you all for your support in this time of grief.”

A relative who answered the door at the Rossington home would not comment on whether Ms Schroder, who had recently split from her ex-husband but still used his surname, might have jumped.

“We don’t know yet, and we don’t want to talk about it now,” the female relative said.

Carnival Australia chief executive Ann Sherry defended the security on board the ship and said it was unlikely their fall into the ocean was an accident. She said the barricades on the ship were above the international standard.

“We want to make sure that it’s not possible for people to fall overboard or to trip and fall overboard. So I think it would be highly unlikely, but again, in this case the police are conducting a full investigation,” Ms Sherry said.

She said the company first began to investigate when the couple did not disembark in Sydney: “We didn’t realise the couple were missing until the disembarkation.”