A suspect was taken into custody Monday in connection with an alleged homicide on board a cruise ship that had docked in Galveston, Texas, federal authorities said Monday.
The death was on the MSC Seascape, a 1,060-foot cruise ship that left Texas on Sunday but was instructed to turn around after what the cruise ship company described in a statement as a “guest incident aboard our ship.”
In a separate statement, the FBI said it would not identify the suspect until the victim’s family was notified. The victim was also not identified.
The agency described its investigation as ongoing and declined to provide additional details.
The Galveston Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday that the deceased was a female and that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
The FBI is primarily responsible for investigating murders, assaults and other serious crimes committed on cruise ships that are within U.S. jurisdiction at sea. The agency said it is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, port police and the cruise company.
A spokesperson for MSC Cruises said the company is cooperating fully with the investigation and the ship has since left Galveston and resumed its planned itinerary.
According to Cruise Mapper, a cruise ship tracker, Seascape was on a seven-night trip with stops on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Roatan, Honduras.
Nicole Duarte is an assignment editor in NBC News’ Miami bureau.
Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.