Additional Coverage:
- Autopsies reveal cause of death of US banker and wife onboard Mike Lynch’s superyacht (newsbreak.com)
Autopsies have been performed on a couple following their tragic drowning after British entrepreneur Mike Lynch’s luxury superyacht sunk near Sicily last month. The incident occurred on August 19, during a severe storm by the Sicilian coast, resulting in the deaths of seven people aboard the British-flagged vessel named Bayesian which was anchored close to Palermo.
Among the deceased were British tech magnate Mike Lynch and his 19-year-old daughter, Hannah Lynch. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, survived along with 14 other individuals. Autopsies have confirmed drowning as the cause of death for U.S. lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife, Neda, whose examinations were the first to be carried out by Italian authorities this past Monday.
Further post-mortem examinations are scheduled for Wednesday, including those for Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s investment arm in London, and his wife Judy. Examinations will also be conducted for the remaining victims, including Lynch, his daughter Hannah, and the yacht’s chef, Recaldo Thomas.
Mr. Morvillo had represented Mr.
Lynch in a high-profile case related to the 2011 sale of his company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for £8.3 billion, a deal that later faced scrutiny over allegations that Lynch had falsified accounts to inflate the value of Autonomy. Lynch was acquitted in June of any wrongdoing.
The investigation currently includes the yacht’s captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, and two crew members concerning their roles in the sinking. The 56-meter (184-foot) yacht is believed to have succumbed to a sudden and intense downburst from a thunderstorm. Prosecutors aim to salvage the Bayesian and scrutinize it for further evidence to assist in their ongoing investigation.