Body of missing Holland America passenger washes up in Alaska

mercedes · August 4, 2009

(6:55 AM EDT) -- A massive search-and-rescue operation in Alaska has turned up the body of a woman presumed to have gone overboard Monday from a Holland America cruise ship.

Washington resident Amber Malkuch, 45, disappeared from the 1,432-passenger Zaandam early Monday as it was sailing near Glacier Bay National Park, prompting the search.

The Anchorage Daily News reports that a helicopter involved in the search discovered the body late Monday along the shore of Douglas Island. The news outlet says the body has been taken to Juneau, Alaska to be positively identified.

Several news outlets report the last known sighting of Malkuch was when she ordered room service just after midnight on Sunday as the ship was near Douglas Island. She was reported missing by her travelling companion about 9 a.m. on Monday morning after the ship had entered Glacier Bay.

The Zaandam is on a seven-night Alaska cruise out of Seattle that began on Friday. The ship docks in Sitka, Alaska today, and the Associated Press reports Alaska state troopers plan to meet the vessel to begin an investigation of the woman's death.

The Daily News quotes a U.S. Coast Guard official as saying investigators likely would examine security footage from the ship to figure out how the woman went overboard.

UPDATE, 12:58 PM EST: The Associated Press is quoting a spokeswoman for Holland America as saying Malkuch's disappearance from the Zaandam early Monday appears to be a case of suicide. Spokeswoman Sally Andrews says no evidence of foul play has been found.