The family of a missing Louisiana father who officials say was filmed jumping from a Carnival cruise ship says they have now seen the footage as well – and are convinced he was involved in a tragic accident.
Officials told The Post on Wednesday that Tyler Barnett, 28, was seen on surveillance video climbing onto a lifeboat and then jumping off the side of the Jamaica-bound Carnival Glory early Monday morning.
But his grandmother, Dirlean Tate Mason, said family members who have seen the footage insist he slipped — reinforcing their belief that he would never abandon his family, which includes a wife and 3-year-old twin daughters.
“Never on purpose. Nope. I just don’t believe that. Not to (die by) suicide or anything,” Mason told NOLA.com.
Mason said a granddaughter confirmed that Barnett climbed over the edge of the rail and jumped onto the lifeboat, but walked on it for several minutes before he appeared to slip and fall.
“I can’t imagine Tyler jumping,” Mason said. “She has two twin girls.”
Tyler Barnett, 28, was seen walking over the edge of the cruise ship early Monday. Tyler Barnett/Facebook
Barnett’s mother, Elisha Reid, also said the family had seen the video and it showed him slipping off the giant ship.
“They hit a wave and he got off the lifeboat,” Reid, who was not on board, told Business Insider.
“Tyler is my only son, my oldest son. He is everything in my life. He is the air I breathe. He is my heartbeat. I think my heart stopped beating,” he added.
Several family members of the missing man were on board. AFP via Getty Images
Reid said Carnival initially told her daughter, who was on the trip, that there was no video of the incident — and she added that she didn’t know Barnett was missing until her cousin texted her.
“I had moments where I broke down, but I kept the faith,” Reid told the outlet. “What’s important to me is to find out where he is and bring him home, whether he’s alive or not. I want his body to be at home.”
The US Coast Guard has searched a 200-mile area in dangerous weather conditions for Barnett, who was last seen by loved ones just before midnight when she said she headed to her room, but her bed was never made.
The Coast Guard has been searching a large 200-mile area in dangerous weather conditions for Barnett after he was reported missing Monday from the Carnival Glory bound for Montego Bay, Jamaica. United States Coast Guard
Her sister, Destiny Barnett, told NBC News that she and 13 other siblings were also on the cruise.
“It makes you feel crazy to be stuck on a ship where everyone else is having fun. It should be a holiday, but for us, it’s hell,” he told the outlet.
A Carnival spokeswoman has told The Post that the ship’s care team has been supporting the family.
Mason said his grandson, the father of 3-year-old twin daughters, was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman who never backed down from an adventure.
“I’m not going to give up until they stop,” he told NOLA.com of the search.
The Post has contacted Carnival for comment on the family’s latest statement.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
