Updated Post — May 21, 7:06 p.m.
Divers found the body of William Anthony Rodriguez, 32, of Miami, Florida on Sat., May 21, according to Alaska State Troopers. The man reportedly was swimming in front of a docked cruise ship on Friday afternoon when he began to have trouble and sank.
Divers from Juneau and search dogs from Southeast Alaska Dogs Organized for Ground Search arrived in Skagway on Saturday and found Rodriguez’s body, trooper say.
Original Post — May 20, 4:21 p.m.
A missing person search is underway in the waters around a docked cruise ship in Skagway.
Friday afternoon, City Manager Brad Ryan said an eyewitness saw a man in the water near the inland-end of Skagway’s Broadway Dock.
“And they saw him sink away into the water, and that’s as far as we know right now,” Ryan said. “So the individual’s missing, and we don’t know — we’re presuming he’s drowned, but we don’t know that for certain right now.”
Ryan said vessels from the Skagway’s harbor department and the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship are participating in the search. The U.S. Coast Guard also sent a response boat from Juneau to help.
There’s no word yet from the authorities about who the missing person may be.
