A 56-year-old California father is presumed dead after going overboard from the Carnival Panorama on Saturday, during what was meant to be a wedding anniversary trip with his wife. He has been identified as Thomas Gigler of Redlands, and the circumstances of what happened remain unclear.
What Happened Aboard the Panorama
Gigler was sailing with his wife, Michelle, 48, and their three sons aboard the Carnival Panorama as it returned from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, toward Long Beach, California — the sixth day of the family’s cruise. On Saturday morning, Michelle realized she could not find her husband and asked cruise staff to page him.
When he didn’t respond, the ship’s crew began an increasingly urgent search. Passengers said Gigler’s name was repeated over the vessel’s public address system for hours, starting around 11 a.m., as staff tried to get him to come forward. Around 2 to 3 p.m., the ship turned around, and by 3:30 p.m. all guests were ordered back to their rooms so crew could conduct a full search and verify every passenger on board.
One passenger, Michael Bedwell, told ABC7 that crew instructed everyone to their rooms without initially explaining why. “We didn’t really know what was going on,” he said.
After confirming Gigler could not be located anywhere on the ship, Carnival staff reviewed hours of security footage. According to multiple reports, one clip appeared to show Gigler going overboard off the coast of Baja California. A Carnival spokesperson later confirmed that onboard cameras captured a male passenger going into the water.
The Search Effort
Once local and federal authorities were notified, the search was handed over to the US and Mexican Coast Guards. The Coast Guard has conducted aerial searches of the area, while the Mexican Navy and nearby commercial vessels have also joined the effort. As of the most recent updates, Gigler has not been found and is presumed dead.
In a statement, Carnival said: “When notified of a missing guest, the ship’s team initiated search and investigation procedures, including reviewing CCTV footage and notifying both the US and Mexico Coast Guards.” The company added that it is “providing support to the family who was traveling with the guest,” and that its “thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones.” The ship docked in Long Beach on Sunday as scheduled.
Who Is Thomas Gigler
Gigler was a computer programmer who spent 24 years working for the software company Esri. He lived in Redlands, California — about 64 miles east of Los Angeles — with Michelle and their three sons. He and Michelle would have celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, four days after he went missing.
The Family Pushes Back on Speculation
As word of the incident spread, some passengers speculated that Gigler may have been dealing with marital problems, citing an overheard conversation at the ship’s Alchemy Bar the night before he disappeared. His sister, Wendy Dowden, has firmly rejected that account, telling reporters that Gigler and Michelle “were getting along quite well.”
Dowden also pushed back on the idea that her brother intentionally took his own life, saying the family has no explanation for what happened and no history of mental illness to point to. “We think something must have happened in his head. He wasn’t in his right mind to have done this,” she said.
Fellow passengers created a tribute for Gigler using Carnival shopping bags, writing messages of support for his family before disembarking.
What We Still Don’t Know
Authorities have not determined why Gigler went overboard, and his family says he gave no indication beforehand that anything was wrong. The search for him continues, though hope of finding him alive has largely faded given the time elapsed and the location involved.
