MIAMI, Florida. — An Indiana family is grieving after a man from Brownsburg fell off a Carnival Cruise ship in Miami last Friday.

Investigators say Brice Rice, a husband and father of three-year-old twin boys, was vacationing with his wife on a Carnival Cruise in the Caribbean. They say fell from a balcony on to a deck five stories below on the cruise ship and medical staff aboard the vessel were unable to save his life.

The ship arrived at Port Miami the next morning after six nights at sea and Miami-Dade police began investigating. According to USA Today, investigators have ruled out suicide but are not saying anything else about why Rice fell from the balcony.

Robert Fetters is Rice’s stepfather. Though he’s been divorced from Rice’s mother, Meredith Rice-Fetters for several years, he has fond memories of his stepson.

“Brian was a good father,” Fetters said. “He was a good provider and he was also my son’s rock. He would take the time to listen and help anyone who came across his path. He was my stepson and I loved him dearly. He will be missed by many.”

His friends and extended family have started a GoFundMe page for Rice’s wife Diane and their twin boys Brian, Jr., and Bradley.

 

(stock photo by Andy Newman/CCL)