Thomas Gigler remains missing after crews searched more than 1,700 square miles off Mexico for more than 41 hours.
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for Thomas Gigler, a 56-year-old Southern California father who went overboard from the Carnival Panorama as the cruise ship returned from Mexico to Long Beach, officials said.
The search was suspended Tuesday pending new information after Coast Guard aircraft, a Mexican naval vessel and six other vessels spent more than 41 hours searching more than 1,707 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. Authorities reported no sightings of Gigler during the effort. The Coast Guard said the incident remains under investigation, and officials have not publicly established why he went overboard.
Gigler, who lived in Redlands and was a father of three, had been traveling with his family aboard the Carnival Panorama on a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise. Reports said the trip coincided with his wedding anniversary. The ship departed Long Beach on Sept. 13 and visited Mexican ports before beginning its return to Southern California.
The Coast Guard said its Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda received a missing-person report at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday from Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach. The cruise ship reported that Gigler had last been seen at about 11:30 p.m. Friday. Carnival later said onboard camera footage confirmed that the passenger had gone overboard.
Carnival Cruise Line said the ship’s team began search and investigation procedures after learning a passenger was missing. Those efforts included reviewing closed-circuit camera footage and notifying U.S. and Mexican maritime authorities. Passengers were also instructed to return to their cabins while crew members conducted an accountability check aboard the ship.
The Coast Guard took responsibility for coordinating the broader search and deployed multiple fixed-wing aircraft. It also worked with Mexico’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center and used the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue system to identify commercial ships that could help. A Mexican naval vessel and six other vessels assisted with surface searches.
Officials said the Carnival Panorama was about 57 miles off the Mexican coast when the passenger was reported overboard. The ship had been traveling north from Puerto Vallarta toward Long Beach. After the disappearance was discovered, the vessel changed course while search efforts were carried out before eventually continuing toward California.
Passengers described repeated announcements seeking the missing traveler before they were told to return to their rooms. A later announcement informed them that camera footage had confirmed a person had gone overboard. Some passengers subsequently created a small memorial aboard the ship with messages for Gigler and his family.
Gigler’s family has publicly expressed uncertainty about what happened in the hours before he went overboard. Reports about possible circumstances leading up to the incident have not been established by investigators, and neither the Coast Guard nor Carnival has announced a confirmed explanation for his actions.
Capt. Jessica Davila, chief of incident management for the Coast Guard Southwest District, said suspending a search is a difficult decision made after officials consider the available information. The active search remains suspended pending new information, while the circumstances surrounding Gigler’s disappearance remain under investigation.
Author note: Last updated September 24, 2026.