Photos Show Lifeboats Dropping Into The Ocean To Search For Mother Who Intentionally Jumped Off Cruise Ship

A married mother of one, Kaylyn Rose Sommer, “intentionally” jumped from the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship during an EDM event called the 2015 Mad Decent Boat Party. Various witnesses captured images of the moment that lifeboats were dropped into the ocean in the pitch black night to search for the missing woman from Charleston, South Carolina.

The woman, 24-year-old Kaylyn Rose Sommer, reportedly jumped from her balcony on the Norwegian Pearl into the dark sea below. The distraught mother was on the ship as part of an EDM event called the Mad Decent Boat Party. The special Diplo event features various musical performers and dancing. Initial reports claimed that Sommer was upset after she lost a twerking competition to the self-proclaimed “Queen of Twerk.” However, Sommer’s family says that those reports are false and that the twerking contest is not what caused the woman to jump overboard.

After the woman went overboard, witnesses say the lifeboats were deployed in an attempt to find the woman. Photos of the boats entering the pitch black sea were uploaded to Twitter by other cruise-goers.

WPTV initially reported that the woman jumped after an altercation following a twerking contest on the ship. A friend of Kaylyn Rose Sommer claims that the woman was upset after a twerking contest.

“She and some other girl who was calling herself the twerk queen were having a twerk-off. Twerk queen started twerking on her (the missing woman’s) boyfriend, and it caused some sort of issue between the two of them.”

However, Kaylyn’s family has refuted these claims and says that the woman did jump intentionally but that it had nothing to do with the twerking contest. After the woman jumped into the sea and the lifeboats were deployed, a call was also made to the Coast Guard, which sent helicopters to search for the missing woman. Sadly, after searching 600 square nautical miles, the search was called off. The woman is now presumed dead.

Coast Guard Capt. Todd Coggeshall said the decision to call off the search efforts was difficult as the missing person was a young mother.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones affected by this terrible tragedy. We are all sons and daughters, and many of our responders have young children themselves. Suspending search efforts is always a painful decision, particularly when it involves a young mother.”

The Coast Guard did not go into details but did say they were investigating exactly what led to the woman going overboard. Coggeshall says that the woman was seen “intentionally going overboard” from her balcony but did not elaborate. Meanwhile, TMZ reports that the Mad Decent Boat Party was cancelled following the incident and would not be going to its port of call in Cozumel. Instead, it is returning to Miami.

The announcement made by the ship’s captain was made over the loud speakers on the Norwegian Pearl. The captain said that unfortunately due to the required search efforts and stopping of the ship after the woman fell overboard, there was no longer time to stop in Cozumel. Instead, due to speed requirements, they would need to turn around and head back to Miami. He also mentioned that the crew was not giving up hope and that the Coast Guard was taking over the search efforts with helicopters.

The search for the Mad Decent boat passenger who went overboard has been suspended https://t.co/5L9ZL6npdJ

— billboard (@billboard) November 15, 2015

With Kaylyn Rose Sommer’s family and friends still on the ship, the captain also asked that everyone keep those who knew the woman in their thoughts. The charter company for the cruise and the Norwegian Pearl say that they were providing support to Kaylyn’s family that remained on the boat following the tragic events.

[Image via Norwegian Pearl]