Suzanne Rees sent a heartbreaking final message before she was accidentally left behind on a remote island during a luxury cruise.
According to the The Guardian, Suzanne Rees, of New South Wales, had joined a hiking party on Lizard Island in Australia with some other passengers on October 25, 2025. When it came time to get back on the Coral Adventurer cruise, however, she was missing.
Lizard Island, on the Great Barrier Reef, was the first stop in the 60-day cruise around Australia.
Before her death, Suzanne sent what would become her final message to her daughter, Katherine. Speaking to 60 Minutes, Katherine reportedly recall receiving a text from her mother that morning.
“She sent me a text that morning with a photo of the deck, saying: ‘Arrived at Lizard Island, going for a hike, and then afternoon swim’,” Katherine said, according to VT.
My ex ch3ated, abandoned me and our son, then invited us to his wedding. During his speech, he laughed, “Leaving that trash behind was my best decision.” Everyone laughed until my son took the mic and handed him a “gift.” One second after opening it, his scream silenced the room.
“We had no reason to think that this wouldn’t be the most amazing experience. We had no reason to think anything bad would happen.”
The ship left without her
According to Katherine, her mother became unwell during the organized hike, and stopped to rest. Suzanne was reportedly told to make her own way back after falling behind the group. She had paid approximately $21,600 for the two-month voyage, which had departed only one day before her death.
By the time crew members realized she was missing, the vessel had already returned to sea. The ship eventually turned around and arrived back at the island at around 2 a.m. the following day.
Katherine later told The Australian: “Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mom died, alone.”
The incident sparked an investigation into Coral Expeditions’ safety procedures after the company failed to identify Suzanne’s absence during a routine headcount.
