The Strange Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam

On March 22, 2011, 24-year-old Rebecca Coriam vanished while working on the Disney Wonder, a cruise ship sailing off the coast of Mexico. It was the first disappearance in Disney Cruise Line’s history and years later, her family is still searching for answers.

A Promising Life Cut Short

Rebecca was born in Chester, England, on March 11, 1987. She grew up with her parents, Annmaria and Mike, her sister Rachael and two foster brothers. Rebecca loved sports and the outdoors. She joined the Air Cadets as a teenager and later studied sports science at Plymouth University.

After teaching at Camp America in Maine, she applied for a job with Disney Cruise Line. Rebecca trained in Florida, then worked on cruises to the Bahamas.

Later, she was assigned to the Disney Wonder, based in Los Angeles, sailing the Mexican Riviera and through the Panama Canal. Her parents last saw her when she came home for her grandfather’s funeral.

The Day She Disappeared

Rebecca stayed in touch with her family through Facebook and Skype. On March 21, 2011, she sent a message to her parents saying she’d call them the next day. That call never came.

At 9 a.m. on March 22, crew members noticed Rebecca had missed her shift. She wasn’t in her cabin or anywhere else on the ship. When they checked security footage, they found her last seen at 5:45 a.m. in a crew lounge, talking on one of the ship’s internal phones.

She looked upset. A young man approached and she could be seen saying, “Yeah, fine.” Then she hung up, pushed her hair back and walked away. That was the last time anyone saw her.

Some early, unverified reports claimed she may have gone overboard around 3 a.m. The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy searched the waters but found nothing.

A Troubled Investigation

Because the Wonder is registered in the Bahamas, a detective from the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) was sent to investigate. Rebecca’s parents flew to Los Angeles to meet the ship. They were told the detective had only spent one day onboard and had interviewed just a few crew members.

Rebecca’s parents said Disney kept them in a car with blacked-out windows and took them onboard after passengers had left. The captain suggested that Rebecca might have been swept overboard by a wave while near the crew pool. Her parents didn’t believe it. The pool area had high walls that made that seem unlikely.

A year later, Rebecca’s father got an email from a woman claiming she saw Rebecca in Venice months after her disappearance. “It was just an email but it seemed legitimate,” her uncle said. “It was very upsetting for everyone.” But Rebecca’s passport was still in her cabin, making the story hard to believe

The Guardian Investigation

In 2011, journalist Jon Ronson took the same cruise route for The Guardian to investigate. Crew members told him off the record that Disney knew more than they were saying. “It didn’t happen. You know that’s the answer I have to give,” one bartender said.

Ronson thought Rebecca might have slipped while jogging on Deck 4, where railings were low. But other crew members insisted she went overboard from the crew pool on Deck 5. One said, “Everyone knows. Disney knows exactly what happened. Everything here is taped.”

Ronson noticed flowers placed by the pool the day after Rebecca’s disappearance, possibly by Disney. When he examined the pool area himself, he saw high walls and cameras, making it hard to imagine anyone accidentally falling.

What Could Have Happened?

Investigators concluded Rebecca went overboard, possibly due to a rogue wave. But her family said they never got the final report promised by Bahamian police. British detectives also refused to release it.

Crew members said the phone call Rebecca made that morning was recorded. One, known as “Melissa,” told Ronson that Rebecca had been in an intense relationship that had become difficult. Melissa believed she went to the crew pool to be alone and might have fallen accidentally, as she liked taking risks.

The “flip-flops” found near the pool were said to belong to Rebecca but her parents and friends disagreed. Melissa said, “They were too big. They weren’t her style.” Later, private investigators confirmed the shoes belonged to another crew member, not Rebecca.

Her parents were convinced she wasn’t suicidal. In her cabin, they found Disneyland Paris passes she planned to give them as a surprise.

Former MP Chris Matheson later said, “The more you look into this, the more it smells rotten—the more it smells like a crime has taken place.” Private investigator John Anderson claimed the seas were calm that night, making Disney’s wave theory doubtful. Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott also believed Rebecca was thrown overboard.

Calls for Change

Rebecca’s parents said they heard little from Disney or the RBPF. “Whenever we call anyone, all they say is, ‘The investigation is ongoing,’” her father told The Guardian.

British MP Stephen Mosley called the investigation “appalling,” saying the Bahamian authorities “made virtually no attempt.” Shipping Minister Mike Penning agreed, saying Disney seemed “more interested in getting the ship back to sea than in investigating.”

The case led to new British policies allowing investigations into deaths or disappearances of UK citizens on ships worldwide.

Cruise victim advocate Kendall Carver told The Guardian, “In other corporations, police get involved. On cruise ships they have, quote, security officers, but they work for the cruise lines.”

Miami lawyer Jim Walker, who represented the Coriam family, said they “do not deserve Mickey Mouse games.” He and Carver both believe Disney has unreleased footage showing what really happened. “If there’s a video that shows your daughter going overboard, that’s the end of the story,” Carver said.

Disney, however, said it was cooperating with Bahamian police. “We wish we knew what happened as much as anyone,” a spokesperson said. “Rebecca’s disappearance has been difficult and heartbreaking for everyone.”