California Father of Three Vanishes From Anniversary Cruise After Going Overboard — Family Rejects Claim About Marriage Problems

What was reportedly meant to be an anniversary trip for a Southern California couple ended in tragedy after a 56-year-old father of three went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship traveling from Mexico toward California.

Thomas Gigler, of Redlands, was aboard the Carnival Panorama with his wife, Michelle, when he disappeared Saturday. The couple share three sons and had reportedly been marking their anniversary during the voyage.

After Gigler could not be found aboard the ship, his family raised the alarm. A subsequent review of surveillance footage indicated that he had gone overboard, according to the cruise line.

He is presumed dead.

Search Begins After Passenger Is Reported Missing

The California computer programmer, who spent 24 years working for Esri, is believed to have gone off the 11th deck as it traveled from Mexico towards Long Beach.Facebook/Michelle Gigler

Gigler was a computer programmer who had spent 24 years working for Esri. Reports indicate that he went overboard from the ship’s 11th deck while the Carnival Panorama was sailing from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, toward Long Beach, California.

Carnival said that after being notified a passenger was missing, crew members launched search and investigation procedures.

The ship’s team reviewed CCTV footage and contacted authorities in both the United States and Mexico.

The US and Mexican Coast Guards were involved in the response, while the Mexican Navy and nearby commercial vessels also assisted with the search.

After surveillance footage showed Gigler going overboard, the ship reportedly turned around at approximately 2 p.m. to search the surrounding waters.

It later resumed its journey toward Long Beach at around 4:30 p.m.

Family Pushes Back on Claim About His Marriage

As the family tried to understand what happened, attention turned to a reported conversation Gigler had with another passenger the night before he disappeared.

That passenger reportedly claimed Gigler had discussed difficulties in his marriage while at the ship’s Alchemy Bar.

But Gigler’s sister, Wendy Dowden, rejected the suggestion that marital problems explained what happened.

She said her brother and Michelle “were getting along quite well.”

Instead, the family believes something unexpected may have happened shortly before Gigler went overboard.

“We think something must have happened in his head. He wasn’t in his right mind to have done this,” Dowden said.

The family also said Gigler had no known history of mental illness.

Passengers Hear Announcement as Search Continues

The disappearance unfolded while other passengers remained aboard the Carnival Panorama.

Video shared online captured an announcement informing guests that the missing passenger had not yet been located and that authorities had been notified.

Passengers were asked to continue cooperating while search efforts remained underway.

Another video showed people aboard the ship gathering to remember Gigler. A small memorial display included handwritten messages, prayers and tributes intended for his family and friends.

For those closest to him, however, the central question remains how an anniversary voyage with his wife and a return trip toward Southern California ended with Gigler disappearing into the Pacific.

His family has rejected one explanation circulating after the incident and says his actions were completely out of character.

With Gigler presumed dead, his wife and three sons are now left confronting a loss that his relatives say they are still struggling to understand.