Missing cruise visitor
found in good health
~ Says report was ‘just a mix up’ ~
PHILIPSBURG--Fifty-year-old Kathleen Feeney of New Jersey in the United States of America (USA) told The Daily Herald just hours after she was found by police that the story of her going missing on the island was “just a mix-up.”
She said she had simply missed her cruise ship the Carnival Valor on March 1 when she arrived on the island and after several failed attempts at getting an airline ticket at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), she had rented a hotel room and stayed while trying to sift through the different pieces of information she had been given about how a person in her position would be able to travel, considering that her passport had been left on board the ship.
Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein said he was very pleased to learn that Feeney was well and in good health, and that she had just been enjoying the island. Stein confirmed that her absence had nothing to do with a crime of any sort.
Police spokesman Ricardo Henson told reporters that based on tips police had received from residents who recognised the tourist from photos posted in the local print media, they had been able to locate her at a local hotel.
They ensured first that she was well and were able to provide her with telephone contact with her family in the US. She was later assisted by management and staff of SEL Maduro and Sons, the local agents for the cruise line. They ensured that Feeney received an airplane ticket and that she was put on a plane Tuesday afternoon back to the US where her family awaits her arrival home.
Feeney said she had loved her stay on the island. She told this newspaper, “I had a wonderful time. The police found me and when they said that they were looking for me, at first I asked why, and then they told me there was a report that I was reported as a missing person.”
She said she had been able to take in some sights on one of the days when she took a taxi to the French side. However, she had mostly stayed in her room with the exception of having left on one occasion to purchase a sandwich.
St Maarten vacation rental
