Mexican authorities have charged a 24-year-old Mexican national with the killing of Monika Markiewicz, a 32-year-old crew member on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, according to a Royal Caribbean news release.
Nelson Perez Torres, a local resident and bartender, was the man charged with murder. Torres and Markiewicz reportedly had known each other for several months before he killed her along a Cozumel roadway as she was returning to the ship. Authorities began the search for Markiewicz after she did not report back to the ship before its departure from Cozumel on February 4. Her body was discovered the next day in the water off a remote beach in the area.
"We thank the Mexican authorities for their commitment to quickly solving the murder of our crew member, Monika Markiewicz. Her untimely death is tragic and has saddened all of us at Royal Caribbean," said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean. "We have informed Monika's family in Poland of today's news update and we will continue to be in contact with them and to support them during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."
