Canadian object of international search

RCMP, FBI, Interpol, Bahamian police probe
mystery of missing passenger.
A bevy of international agencies -- including the RCMP,
the FBI, Interpol and the Royal Bahamas Police Force
-- are trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of
a Canadian woman aboard a cruise ship in the
Atlantic Ocean northeast of Florida.
Royal Bahamian Police assistant commissioner Reginald
Ferguson said in an interview yesterday that the
whereabouts of Jill Begora, 59, remain in the realm
of speculation, but that he has assigned the force's
lead criminal investigator to the case.
Mrs. Begora, 59, was reported missing by her husband
-- Dennis Begora, a St. Catharines, Ont., dentist
-- as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Jewel of the Seas
pulled into Nassau, the Bahamian capital, on Saturday
morning.
The ship's crew filed a missing persons report with the
U.S. Coast Guard after a search of the vessel turned
up no sign of Mrs. Begora, leading some to speculate
that she may have fallen overboard.
The ship, which retraced its course searching for her,
has since returned to the Port of Everglades at
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"We just know that she's missing. We don't know
what happened to her," said commissioner Ferguson
. . . . We have an interest in the matter because the ship
came here and we want to know what's going on."
Royal Caribbean International, which operates the
2,100-passenger ship, said in a statement that
Mrs. Begora was last seen by her husband at about
9 a.m. Saturday and he reported her missing at
about 1 p.m.
Royal Caribbean said "a full ship search was
conducted, without success."
The Jewel of the Seas had docked in Nassau at about
11:30 a.m., but commissioner Ferguson said there
is no record of Mrs. Begora disembarking.
However, he agreed that does not mean
Mrs. Begora did not slip off the ship undetected
or that she does not remain secreted away
aboard the large vessel.
"We're in the early stages of the investigation,"
he said, adding that he is working in collaboration with
the RCMP liaison office in Miami, the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Coast Guard,
the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department and Interpol.
"I'm just trying to collect information from the different
agencies that have been contacted," said Scott Doran,
who is the RCMP liaison officer.
Dr. Begora could not be reached for comment.
A woman answering the phone at his dental office in
St. Catharines declined to make any comment.
A Foreign Affairs spokesman said yesterday that
Canadian officials have been in contact with
Mrs. Begora's family.
A search of the seas by U.S. Coast Guard and
Bahamian vessels has been called off, but a coast
guard spokesperson said the agency is on
standby to resume the search if needed.
Thomas Begora, 69, a cousin of Dr. Begora living in
Fort Myers, Fla., said he has not been in touch with
his cousin for some time and has not had contact with
him about Mrs. Begora's disappearance.
"First of all, it's unbelievable," he told
News-Press.com.
"Maybe she is on the island.
I certainly hope she didn't fall overboard.
Our prayers are with the family."
link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051213.wxmissing13/BNStory/National/