First picture of pensioner who died after being abandoned by cruise ship

The Australian grandmother who was found dead on a Great Barrier Reef island after she was left behind by a cruise ship has been identified. Suzanne Rees, 80, was on the first stop of a 60-day, $80,000-a-ticket cruise ship ticket of Australia when she got separated from the group on a hike and tragically died. 

A multi-agency investigation will probe how the elderly woman was allegedly left behind by the NRMA-owned Coral Expeditions cruise ship. Katherine Rees said her mum fell ill during the organised climb on Lizard Island and was asked to make her way back down the mountain on her own. Katherine tragically says her beloved mum “died alone” and claimed the ship failed to conduct a “passenger count”.

“Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone,” she told The Australian. 

She added: “I hope that the coronial inquiry will find out what the company should have done that might have saved Mom’s life.”

Katherine said her family were left “shocked and saddened” at the series of events that led to their beloved mum and grandmother dying.

She reeled at the “failure of care and common sense” after it was discovered Suzanne had not been reported missing until about 6pm that night.

Sources told The Australian that the woman had to stop when hiking the 2.5-mile trail to the island’s highest point, Cook’s Look, a three-hour round trip which is described by the Lizard Island Resort as “challenging” and recommended for guests with “medium to high fitness and agility”.

“The group continued on and boarded the vessel before realising she was not there,” a source told the newspaper.

Ms Rees’ body was found 50m off the hiking trail that leads to Lizard Island’s highest summit, Cook’s Look, on Sunday. 

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) stated that it is investigating and will meet with the ship’s crew upon its arrival in Darwin later this week.

Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said staff have contacted the woman’s family and are offering support over the “tragic death”.

“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family,” Fifield said.

Ms Ayris and her partner, Matthew, who were aboard SV Vellamo anchored near Lizard Island, were listening to emergency radio transmissions sent from the Coral Expeditions vessel.

“‘They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island, it would seem,” Ms Ayris told the Cairns Post.

Queensland police said a report will be prepared for the coroner in the “sudden and non-suspicious death” of the woman.