Friend of Brisbane mother who jumped from cruise ship speaks out
A close friend of the Brisbane mother who allegedly threw herself off a P&O cruise ship has spoken out about the tragedy, saying she would have never wanted to hurt her family.
Natasha Schofield, 47, is believed to have thrown herself off the top deck of the P&O Pacific Dawn while it was 150 nautical miles west of New Caledonia on Thursday afternoon. A search was called off on Friday morning.
One of Schofield’s closest friends, Damon Smith, has spoken to the media about the tragic incident, saying, “hurting her family is the last thing she would have wanted”.
“Tash would never intentionally hurt her husband or children, her family or friends - everything that has happened on that boat is the complete opposite to what she would ever want,” Mr Smith told Daily Mail.
“She must have arrived in a very dark and desperate place in her mind, very very quickly.”
Mr Smith told Daily Mail that Mrs Schofield’s husband had picked up a change in her behaviour in the 24 hours leading up to her alleged suicide.
“[Her husband] said she didn't seem herself for just over a day but she assured him she was fine,” he said.
“She has been there for me in various ways, starting from crashing my wedding party to caring for my children a thousand times. I trust her with my life. That generous girl I know only strives to help others and make life happier - she has made me a better person,” he said.
Rescue crews were unable to find Mrs Schofield’s body and Queensland Police have issued a statement, confirming their belief that she took her own life.
Queensland Police Inspector Rob Graham told reporters, “Her husband was standing right next to her when she went over. Her husband tried to grab on to her leg... but she fell.”
The ship stopped just before dusk on Thursday, desperately searching for the woman overboard. But as a huge swell surrounded the boat about 8am on Friday, the search was reportedly called off on advice of marine experts.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I need to let you know that we have been unable to locate our guest,” the ship's captain told his passengers.
“'We are still in the area of the incident, and the weather conditions with the swell three to four metres high, as you can see outside... the strong wind made our search extremely challenging.
“As a result we have now made the extremely difficult decision to continue our journey towards Brisbane.”
Our thoughts are with Mrs Schofield’s family and friends.
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