In the latest installment of the high-profile story of a sinking yacht, authorities have revealed that those who did not survive the tragedy died from drowning.
The announcement came on Monday September 2, just weeks after seven people were killed amid a sinking superyacht that was caught in an intense storm. On August 19, more than 20 passengers aboard the vessel were attacked by waves off the coast of Sicily. Initial autopsy reports of victims were released by coroners and confirmed by prosecutors in Palermo.
Two more autopsies—on the bodies of chairman Jonathan Bloomer of a British branch of Morgan Stanley and his wife—are scheduled for Wednesday September 4. The last three victims—Mike Lynch, a British entrepreneur, his 18-year-old daughter, and Recaldo Thomas, the yacht’s cook—have yet to have autopsies scheduled.
Lynch had been under fire for over a decade for allegations that he created fraudulent business documents and overvalued Autonomy, a British search engine company, when he oversaw the sale of the business to Hewlett-Packard. The tech entrepreneur was acquitted of the charges against him back in June. The yacht party was a celebration of the legal victory.
As such, the group included Chris Morvillo, a New York-based attorney who represented Lynch in the high-profile fraud case. The 59-year-old died in the sinking tragedy, as did his wife, Neda.
On August 26, Italian authorities announced that it would be looking into potential criminal charges for certain people whose avoidable actions may have led to the sinking and subsequent drowning of seven people. Two members of the crew as well as the captain of the Bayesian yacht are reportedly under investigation.
The 184-foot vessel, donning a British flag, sank after localized intense thunderstorm winds overtook it on the surface of the water. While seven people did not escape, the remaining 15 were rescued, including Lynch’s wife. Prosecutors are planning to raise the yacht up to examine it for evidence, although a timeline for this has not yet been decided.
51-year-old James Cutfield, the yacht’s captain, is now facing potential manslaughter and negligent shipwreck charges.
