An American woman aboard a cruise ship touring the Caribbean mysteriously disappeared during an excursion to a remote island. Now, local police believe she just checked into a hotel.
Ann Evans, 55, was reported missing from a Holland America Line cruise on Nov. 20 after she vanished during a planned tour to Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of a Caribbean island.
Both French and Dutch law enforcement agencies launched a frantic search for the missing American, who never returned to the ship following the island tour.
After a week of searching, the Police Force of Sint Marten announced a shocking twist in the case on Thursday. A woman matching Evans’ description used her passport to check into a hotel on the French side of the island, the agency said.
“She has also reportedly been seen in the surrounding area of that establishment,” read the update on Facebook.
During the Nov. 20 tour, Evans left the bus along with other passengers but didn’t return when it was time to disembark.
The cruise ship departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Nov. 16, and sailed to various Caribbean destinations, including St. Lucia and Barbados. It will arrive back in Florida tomorrow.
Police have encouraged Evans to contact her family herself to let them know she is OK.
