Valley man dies onboard Carnival Dream cruise ship, FBI investigating

GALVESTON, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An investigation is underway after a man from Rio Grande City died onboard a cruise ship that departed from Galveston.

The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Euvelester Villarreal Jr., 48, died on the Carnival Dream cruise ship.

Villarreal was pronounced dead at 5:22 a.m., Wednesday, July 23.

"There was no visible trauma immediately seen," Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office Investigator John Fernandez confirmed to ValleyCentral.

Villarreal's cause of death is undetermined pending medical and toxicology reports.

ValleyCentral reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the death. The FBI released the following statement regarding the onboard death:

FBI Houston is aware of a death that occurred around July 23, 2025, on the Carnival Dream cruise ship. An FBI Maritime Liaison Agent, based out of the Texas City Resident Agency, is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the cruise line regarding this incident. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, I am not able to provide additional details at this time.

The FBI is the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes at sea. Additionally, the FBI states that the criminal jurisdiction of cruise ships is complicated.

"Because cruise ships are registered in one country but travel through international waters, and also carry crew and passengers from many countries, when a crime occurs, more than one country may want to investigate–which raises critical questions," a statement from the FBI's website details how it ensures safety at sea for American passengers.

When an incident occurs on a cruise ship, the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA) of 2010 requires these incidents to be reported to the FBI. The eight mandated reportable incidents are homicide, suspicious deaths, missing U.S. nationals, kidnappings, assaults with serious bodily injuries, sexual assault, firing or tampering with a vessel, and theft of money or property of more than $10,000.