A woman who vanished while on a tropical cruise between the Bahamas and Florida thought about breaking up with her boyfriend before the ill-fated journey, her sister said.
The family of Fariba Amani -- the woman reported missing by her boyfriend on Feb. 29 -- says she had a tumultuous relationship with Ramiz Golshani. As the search for Amani continues, her relatives have begun raising questions about Golshani's credibility.
Golshani was expected to break his near total silence yesterday, but clammed up, saying he was too fragile to talk to the Vancouver Sun.
Amani, a beautician from British Columbia, was reported missing at 8 a.m. by Golshani when their Celebration Cruise Line docked in Riviera Beach, Fla. He said the couple parted ways at 1 a.m. the night before when he ducked into a casino and she headed for the gift shop. When he woke up in the morning, he told authorities she was nowhere to be found.
Authorities interviewed Golshani and have not named him a suspect, according to media reports.
But Amani's family has grown suspicious of Golshani, 46, whom they never met.
"I don't think this was accidental," said Saloumeh Amani, Fariba's sister, according to ABC News. "She didn't drink, she couldn't have just stumbled and fallen off board,"
Since the mother of two vanished, her relatives said that Golshani hasn't contacted them -- raising doubts in their mind that he's told the whole truth.
Saloumeh said her sister described Golshani as controlling, according to ABC News. The relationship was also falling apart and Amani suspected her beau might have cheated on her, the network reported.
According to her sister, she intended to end the relationship when she got back from the vacation, the CBC reported.
While Golshani has kept a low profile, he briefly spoke to the Vancouver Sun to say he's in no shape for an interview.
"You don't know what happened to me over the last week," he told the Vancouver Sun on Tuesday. "I haven't even slept for 10 hours in one week. Last week, at this time, we were sitting and watching a comedy show on the ship. Two hours after this, she was missing.
"I am missing a loved one -- both families love her. We want her safe back home right now," he said.
Not only do the family members criticize Golshani for his silence, but they feel left out of the loop with the investigation spearheaded by the FBI.
A search of the 1,100-person cruise ship turned up her passport and possessions in her cabin, but there was no other trace of Amani .
The Coast Guard trolled the waters between the Bahamas and the Florida mainland without success.