ARLINGTON — A woman who went missing from a cruise ship in Alaska was from Arlington, officials said.
Amber Malkuch, 45, was last seen Sunday night aboard the Holland America Line cruise ship Zaandam.
“Based on evidence and information to date it does not appear to be foul play,” said Sally Andrews, a spokeswoman for the cruise line.
Arlington city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield confirmed Malkuch lived in the city.
Malkuch was reported missing by a traveling companion on Monday morning when the Zaandam was in Glacier Bay National Park, about 75 miles northwest of Juneau. She was last seen hours earlier after she ordered room service, when the vessel was near Alaska’s Douglas Island.
A woman’s body was found Monday afternoon after a massive search but troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said the body hasn’t been positively identified.
However, Coast Guard Lt. Nathaniel Johnson in Juneau said Monday night his agency has suspended its search. The glacier-fed waters in the area are 57 degrees.
State troopers planned to meet the cruise ship when it docks Tuesday in Sitka, Ipsen said, adding they would be talking to the woman’s companion and anyone else who could help explain how she disappeared off the vessel.
The body was taken to Juneau for positive identification. Ipsen said an autopsy would be standard procedure.
The crew of a commercial helicopter operated by Ketchikan-based TEMSCO Helicopters that was helping in the search found the body at about 4:30 p.m. Monday on the west side of Douglas Island about 12 miles northwest of where the passenger was last seen, Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr said.
Warr said there was no immediate sign that any of the Zaandam’s survival gear was missing. Footage from the ship’s security cameras will likely be reviewed, Warr said, adding much remains unknown about the circumstances of the disappearance.
The 780-foot-long Zaandam can carry about 1,430 passengers and 600 crew members.
Malkuch’s relatives have been notified, Banfield said.
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