A toddler who fell to her death on board a cruise ship when she accidentally slipped from her grandfather’s arms has been identified.
Chloe Wiegand was on a family holiday with her parents, grandparents and two siblings when the tragedy occurred on the ship while it was docked in Puerto Rico on Sunday.
The one-year-old’s maternal grandfather, Salvatore Anello of Valparaiso, Indiana, is under investigation, police sergeant Nelson Sotelo said.
He said the rest of the family is from Granger, Indiana, but that officers have not yet been able to interview any relatives, adding: “They’re in shock.”
The tragedy happened at the Pan American dock in the capital of San Juan on board the Freedom of the Seas, which had docked after a week-long trip through the Caribbean.
Chloe was the daughter of Office Alan Wiegand, a police officer with South Bend Police Department. Chief of Police Scott Ruszkowski issued a statement saying it “asks the community to pray for the entire Wiegand family as they grieve and to respect their privacy”.
Ruszkowski disputed the statement issued by Puerto Rico police that the girl was being held out of an 11th floor window.
Puerto Rico Ports Authority spokesman Jose Carmona had earlier said the family were in the dining hall on the 11 floor when Anello allegedly sat the toddler on the edge of the window.
Royal Caribbean Cruises called it a tragic incident and said it was helping the family.
A spokeswoman said the ship departed from Puerto Rico on Monday for St Maarten on a new itinerary and declined further comment.
