Turkish police conduct shipboard interview after passenger disappears | Forensic Files

Turkish police had boarded the ship and in the ship's Lobby they rounded up Josh
Askin and the group of Russian Americans Rusty Kaufman and Zach and Greg Rosenberg they had all partied with
George the night before basically he was sitting with us and then then they got up and they went to the bar then they
were sitting with other people at the bar and then they were sitting at the bar talking over there and he came back
he was stumbling around so he came back to sit with us and talk and she appeared
and then he's stumbling around you know he's dead in the chair already he's barely moving so we helped him back to
his room when we got the room she wasn't there we tried to find that we brought him back and passes out in the back then
then you go to the then you breath did you see her we went um we went back and we looked for
her with him and then we couldn't find her she was gone and then came back to back to George's room and put him in bed
where he went we never saw him that was the last time yeah after we trapped him off the
second time the door we never saw him never saw him again never saw him again we went to our
room and it was just another day for us went go to sleep and that's and that was the end of day but
just remember not not at one point or no time did he ever seen angry or anything
at all he was mad he was a happy person you said after last you saw him they were going but you out when you
were me oh I went to the room with them oh and then after I left I went to sleep you said you were
all look we were all together room service we ordered room service I never went nowhere straight to our room sir here's
our room and here's my room so it's just like this we just for we thought like we thought like
something I thought we getting kicked out the bat that's what I thought put my card
in we went no we went you serious we went go to the uh go no no go to the 11th Flor no no no no go up to the 11th floor
and go down like by the pozy that's ridiculous

On the morning of July 5, 2005, Turkish police boarded the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas to question Josh Askin, Rusty Kofman, Zach Rozenberg and Greg Rozenberg about the disappearance of George Smith. Dr. Jerald Askin, Josh's father, secretly recorded the interview. No one has ever been charged in connection with Smith's death.

Brief Summary

A group recounts the night George disappeared after partying, revealing confusion and concern over his fate.

Key points

The Last Time They Saw George. A group reflects on the last moments with their friend George before he vanished.

Episode highlights

The Last Time They Saw GeorgeA group reflects on the last moments with their friend George before he vanished.“We never saw him again.”1:06Jul 2, 2014

Episode quotes

We never saw him again.

Reflecting on the last time they saw George.

1:06WatchJul 2, 2014

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.