The family of a missing Louisiana dad who officials said was filmed jumping off a Carnival cruise ship say they’ve now also seen the footage — and are convinced he slipped over the edge in a tragic accident.
Officials told The Post on Wednesday that Tyler Barnett, 28, was seen on surveillance video climbing onto a lifeboat and then leaping off the side of the Jamaica-bound Carnival Glory in the early hours of Monday.
But his grandmother, Dirlean Tate Mason, said family members who’ve seen the footage are adamant he slipped — reinforcing their belief that he wouldn’t have left behind his family, including a wife and 3-year-old twin daughters.
“Never on purpose. No. I just don’t believe that. Not to (die by) suicide or anything,” Mason told NOLA.com.
Mason said a granddaughter confirmed that Barnett climbed over the edge of the rail and jumped on the lifeboat, but walked on it for a few minutes before he appeared to slip and fall off.
“I can’t imagine Tyler jumping,” Mason said. “He had two twin girls.”
Barnett’s mother, Elisha Reid, also said the family had seen the video and that it showed he slipped off the giant vessel.
“They hit a wave and he went down off the lifeboat,” Reid, who was not on the ship, told Business Insider.
“Tyler was my only son, my firstborn. He was my everything in life. He was the air I breathed. He was the beat of my heart. I feel as if my heart no longer beats,” she added.
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Reid said Carnival initially told her daughter, who was on the trip, that there was no video of the incident – and she added that she didn’t find out Barnett was missing until a cousin messaged her.
“I have my moments where I break, but I’m keeping the faith,” Reid told the outlet. “What’s important to me is to know where he’s at and to have him home, whether he’s alive or not. I want his body to be home.”
The US Coast Guard has been searching a 200-mile area in treacherous weather conditions for Barnett, who was last seen by loved ones just before midnight as he said he was heading to his room, but his bed was never slept in.
His sister, Destiny Barnett, told NBC News that she and 13 other relatives also were on the cruise.
“It makes you feel crazy to be stuck on a ship where everyone else is having a good time. It was supposed to be a vacation, but for us, it’s hell,” she told the outlet.
A Carnival spokesperson has told The Post that the ship’s care team has been supporting the family.
Mason said her grandson, a dad of twin 3-year-old daughters, is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman who never backs down from an adventure.
“I won’t give up hope until they quit,” she told NOLA.com about the search.
The Post has reached out to Carnival for comment about the family’s latest statements.
