Conn. widow whose husband disappeared during honeymoon cruise plans to remarry

Conn. widow in cruise case plans to remarry

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut woman whose husband disappeared from their honeymoon cruise in 2005 plans to remarry.

John Hagel says his 29-year-old daughter, Jennifer Hagel Smith, plans to marry financial analyst Jeff Agne in the fall.

“We couldn’t be happier,” John Hagel said Monday. “We’re just thrilled she’s been able to move on with her life and start a new life with Jeff. We couldn’t be prouder for both of them.”

George Smith of Greenwich was aboard a Royal Caribbean ship when he vanished somewhere between Greece and Turkey. His body never has been found.

The FBI has investigated Smith’s disappearance, but no one has been charged.

George Smith’s family is challenging a nearly $1.1 million settlement Hagel Smith reached with Royal Caribbean. The deal was approved by a probate court, but Smith’s family appealed to Stamford Superior Court.

A telephone message left Monday with an attorney for George Smith’s family was not immediately returned.

Smith’s disappearance followed a night of heavy drinking. The cruise line said his wife was found passed out on a floor far from their cabin.