Bayesian Yacht Tragedy: Manslaughter Probe Targets Captain, Crew, and CCTV

Bayesian Yacht Tragedy: Manslaughter Probe Targets Captain, Crew, and CCTV

In a stunning turn of events, a luxurious superyacht, once hailed as "virtually unsinkable," now lies at the bottom of the sea, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and shattered lives. A manslaughter probe has been launched to uncover the truth behind the Bayesian tragedy, targeting the ship's captain and first officer as investigators delve into chilling CCTV footage capturing the final harrowing moments before the vessel capsized in freak weather.

Superyacht Sinks Latest: Investigators Reveal Where Bodies Were Found as Probe Looks at ‘Crew’s Responsibility’

Italian officials revealed at a press conference that there could be “a question of manslaughter” as they opened a shipwreck investigation, and stated that the probe is also focusing on “the crew’s responsibility.”

Prosecutors have just concluded a press conference where they provided more details about the investigation following the sinking of the superyacht.

Prosecutors have announced that investigators are planning to recover the wreckage from the seabed as part of the investigation into the capsizing of the superyacht Bayesian. This development was disclosed during a press conference on Saturday.

The investigation is focusing on potential manslaughter charges as authorities seek to determine the cause behind the sinking of the Bayesian, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, an Italian prosecutor confirmed.

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio indicated that “behaviors that were not perfectly in order” could have contributed to the tragic number of fatalities off the coast of Sicily. These remarks were made during the press conference on Saturday.

The investigation will concentrate on whether “all individuals [on board] were adequately informed” about safety procedures, Cartosio explained.

Responsibility might fall on “all members of the crew… the manufacturers… [or those responsible for] surveying or supervising the vessel.”

However, Cartosio emphasized that all possibilities are being examined, including the impact of the extreme weather conditions that struck the area at the time of the incident.

Bodies Discovered Inside Two Cabins

Firefighter Bentivoglio Fiandra revealed that when the emergency call was received at 4:38 a.m. on August 19, the yacht had already sunk, resting on its right side approximately 50 meters below the surface.

As a result, the victims were found in the cabins on the left side of the vessel. Fiandra suggested they may have been attempting to seek shelter or could have been asleep and unable to escape in time.

Divers initially found the body of the on-board chef near the vessel, the official added. Following that, a rotating team of rescuers located five more victims inside the yacht, all in the first cabin on the left-hand side, and the final victim was discovered in the third cabin on the same side.

Investigators are planning to recover the shipwreck from the seabed in order to determine the exact circumstances under which the yacht capsized, the prosecutor announced on Saturday. The owners of the yacht will bear the cost of this recovery operation.

As of now, there is no evidence suggesting that the yacht was anchored in an unsafe position, he further clarified.

Water samples taken from the area near the wreckage show no sign of dangerous hydrocarbons leaking from the yacht, officials shared during the news conference.

Autopsies Yet to Be Conducted

Autopsies have not yet been performed on the victims, whose bodies were recovered from the wreckage between Monday and Friday.

Among the seven who perished was British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59. The yacht encountered difficulties and sank in a matter of just 60 seconds during the early hours of the morning.

Other victims included Morgan Stanley chairman Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judy, American lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda, and the yacht’s on-board chef, Reclado Thomas.

The last body recovered by divers on Friday was that of Mr. Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. Her mother, Angela Bacares, survived the disaster. Their other daughter, Esme, was not on board and paid tribute to her sister in a statement released by the family.

The trip is believed to have been organized by the family to celebrate the conclusion of Mr. Lynch’s long-standing legal battle.

In July, he was acquitted of 15 US fraud charges in a case that spanned 12 years, centering on the sale of his company, Autonomy, to the US tech giant Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

Prosecutors had accused him of intentionally inflating the value of the company he founded in 1996. However, Mr. Lynch consistently maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing throughout the legal proceedings.

RELATED TOPIC:

Bayesian Yacht Conspiracy: Was It Sabotage or a Natural Disaster?

What Really Happened?

Local prosecutors have initiated a probe into charges of “multiple culpable homicides and shipwreck,” focusing on “unnamed persons,” according to credible reports from local media.

Under the Italian penal code, causing a shipwreck is a distinct offense, carrying a maximum sentence of 12 years. Meanwhile, culpable homicide, which is comparable to manslaughter under British law, also comes with significant prison time.

Investigators will assess the actions of New Zealander James Cutfield, 51, who was the captain of the ill-fated 56-meter-long yacht. He has already been interrogated for more than two hours by prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is based in Termini Imerese, not far from Porticello, where the Bayesian sank shortly after 4 a.m. on Monday.

In addition to investigating how the captain and his crew responded to the emergency after the boat was struck by a mini-tornado, authorities will seek to understand why all but one crew member survived, while six of the seven dead or missing were passengers.

It was revealed yesterday that, contrary to initial reports claiming the boat sank in “sixty seconds,” the vessel was actually dragged at anchor for as long as 16 minutes as the dramatic incident unfolded.

Fifteen people, nine of whom were crew members, managed to escape the sinking yacht. Many of them boarded an inflatable life raft and launched a distress flare to call for help.

However, according to reports, all five bodies recovered from the vessel, including that of its owner, tech tycoon Mike Lynch, 59, appeared to have been trapped below deck as they attempted to escape. None were found in their cabins.

News of the official investigation followed comments from the head of the boat-building company that constructed the Bayesian, who suggested that only “human error” could have caused the “virtually unsinkable” yacht to sink.

Giovanni Costantino, founder and CEO of The Italian Sea Group, the parent company of Perini Navi, which built the Bayesian, also questioned why the vessel was not safely inside the harbor.

“The passengers reported something absurd, that the storm came unexpectedly, suddenly,” Mr. Costantino told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. “That is not true. Everything was predictable.”

Mr. Costantino emphasized that the Bayesian was “one of the safest boats in the world” and practically “unsinkable.”

“Ask yourself—why were none of the Porticello fishing boats out that night? A fisherman checks the conditions, and a ship doesn’t? The storm was clearly visible on all the weather maps. It was impossible not to know.”

He explained that strong winds pushed the yacht for four minutes in what he described as “drifting,” after which the vessel rotated, began taking on water, and ultimately sank.

“It tilted 90 degrees for one reason only: because the water kept flooding in,” he explained.

“From the moment the water started coming in to the moment it sank, it took sixteen minutes. Anyone claiming it disappeared in a few seconds is talking nonsense.”

Mr. Constantino added that the crew should have closed all doors and portholes and brought all guests up on deck to prepare for an emergency evacuation.

“A Perini vessel survived Hurricane Katrina. Do you really think it couldn’t withstand a tornado like this?”

A press conference has been scheduled for tomorrow morning by the prosecutors’ office, where more details are expected to be revealed. Investigators have been analyzing videos and photographs taken on the night of the storm, documenting the yacht’s final moments, as well as CCTV footage from the port.

According to the Italian news website Palermo Today, coastguard officials have visited homes and public places with surveillance cameras facing the sea in the surrounding area.

The Prosecutor’s Office is also thoroughly reviewing the actions and decisions made by the Bayesian’s captain, Mr. Cutfield, and first officer Matthew Griffith, 22, according to Palermo Today.

Reports indicate that Mr. Cutfield was questioned “extensively” by the prosecution team for at least two hours.

After the tragedy, Mr. Cutfield reportedly told Italian media, “We didn’t see it coming.”

The captain’s brother, Mark, told the New Zealand Herald that his brother was a “very good sailor” who was “highly respected” in the Mediterranean.

Mark explained that Mr. Cutfield had been involved in shipbuilding in the Mediterranean for 30 years and had raced 470s in his youth before becoming a captain of luxury yachts eight years ago. Prior to working for Mr. Lynch, he had reportedly worked for a Turkish billionaire.

While investigators continue to probe the cause of the tragedy, they are reportedly focusing their investigation on the Bayesian’s skipper, James Cutfield. However, they will also be interviewing the other crew members who survived the incident.

Sources suggest that investigators will be eager to hear first-hand accounts from the crew to piece together how the tragedy unfolded. They hope to determine why the yacht sank so rapidly in the freak weather conditions, despite being anchored and so close to shore.

Among the crew members expected to give statements is 29-year-old Irish citizen Sasha Murray, who reportedly injured her right foot during the sinking.

Sasha is the daughter of the late Irish racing driver Fionn Murray and has worked in the yachting industry for nearly ten years since finishing school, although her specific role on Mr. Lynch’s yacht has not been disclosed.

Local residents in Maugherow, County Sligo, in northwest Ireland, where Sasha grew up, described her this week as “outgoing” and “very personable.”

Dessie Carway, a neighbor who knows the family and runs the Sligo Sea Barn beachfront tourist accommodation in Maugherow, said: “She is a lovely girl.”

Sasha’s father, Fionn Murray, achieved second place in the World Championship of Formula Ford Racing at the Brands Hatch Festival in 1990 and went on to compete across Europe.

Tragically, Sasha was only three years old when her father was killed at the age of 33, along with her grandfather Holger Schiller, in a light aircraft crash in 1998. The plane suffered engine failure after taking off from Strandhill Airport in County Sligo. The two men were reportedly participating in a treasure hunt at the time of the crash.

Mr. Carway shared that the local community was greatly relieved to learn that Sasha had escaped the stricken yacht, sparing her mother Jessica, brother Kilian, 27, and grandmother Erika from the heartbreak of another devastating loss.

“They are good neighbors and a very respected family… She lost her father and grandfather on the same day, so it is a great relief that her family doesn’t have to face any more tragedy… You’d imagine that a guardian angel somewhere was watching over her,” he said.

Local Independent Councillor Marie Casserly expressed similar sentiments, saying: “Thank God she is safe. The family has endured so much tragedy, so this is very welcome news that Sasha has survived.”

Sasha’s grandparents, Holger and Erika Schiller, first visited County Sligo in the 1970s for a holiday. After falling in love with the area, they moved from their home in Germany and purchased Ardtarmon Castle in north Sligo, which they renovated.

The Schiller family also operates an estate agency called Schiller and Schiller. Among the other crew members who survived the tragedy are French citizen Matthew Griffith, 22, and South African citizen Leo Eppel, believed to be in his 20s, who is known to be an avid surfer and skateboarder.

Myin Htun Kyaw, 39, from Myanmar, was also reportedly rescued, along with crew members Tus Koopmans from the Netherlands and Eaton Parker. Their specific roles on the yacht have not yet been revealed.

A spokesperson for the Netherlands’ foreign ministry did not mention Mr. Koopmans by name but confirmed that a Dutch man had been rescued and was not in life-threatening condition.

Leah Randall, 20, from South Africa, and Katja Chicken, 22, from Germany, who both escaped from the yacht, were reportedly working on board as hostesses. This suggests they had domestic duties, such as cleaning and serving guests, rather than operating the vessel.

Since the tragedy, the two women have been staying at the Domina Zagarella hotel in Santa Flavia, which was used as a base by emergency services during the search and recovery operation.

Both women were reportedly in a state of shock and were tearful when they spoke to Italian media, saying, “We are alive by a miracle.”

The ANSA news agency reported that one of the women, speaking in a trembling voice, described the experience as “terrible.”

Leah’s mother, Heidi Randall, told Sky News, “I’m beyond relieved that my daughter’s life was spared by the grace of God.” However, she added, “It doesn’t make it any easier to live with the heartache of those who have lost their lives or are missing.”

In reference to the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas, a Canadian-Antiguan citizen who lost his life in the tragedy, Heidi expressed her deepest sympathies, saying, “My very deepest condolences to the chef’s family, as they formed a great friendship.”

PODIJELI