(Pictures: Facebook)
The mother whose daughter nearly died when she fell 50 feet from a Disney cruise has been identified.
Lawyers Michelle Sapp and her husband Keegan, both 37, were celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary with their daughter Elliana in June.
But tragedy struck their holiday when Michelle told her daughter to climb onto a railing below an open porthole to pose for a photo – the Daily Mail has revealed.
Elliana lost her balance and fell 50 feet into the sea.
After the mum let out a bloodcurdling scream, Keegan dove into the sea to rescue their little daughter. Both were dramatically rescued after spending 20 minutes adrift.
Although Broward County Sheriff’s Office detectives recommended that Michelle be charged with child neglect, prosecutors declined.
Michelle’s actions were put down as the result of a moment of poor judgment rather than significant child neglect.
She blamed Disney for her daughter’s near-death, claiming she thought the portholes were covered by plexiglass.
But Detective Christopher Favitta said it was clear the porthole was open.
In his report, he wrote: ‘This act facilitated by [Michelle] placed the child in a life-threatening situation. As a result, the child fell from the ship and into the water, in an avoidable accident.’
Meanwhile, assistant state prosecutor Melissa Kelly declined to file charges as she accepted Michelle’s defense.
Kelly wrote in a July 31 memorandum: ‘This was an isolated incident, and all available evidence shows that it was merely accidental.
‘The defendant was supervising the victim, and while her conduct of allowing her child to sit on the railing was negligent, it does not rise to a standard of culpable negligence or utter disregard for the safety of her child.
‘Parents and caregivers of children are not held to a standard of perfection under the law.
‘While the defendant was irresponsible, her act of facilitating the victim’s position on the railing was an isolated incident that resulted from a momentary lapse in proper judgment and unawareness of surrounding circumstances.’
Last week, the family moved out of their $765,000 home in East Northport on Long Island, New York.
Keegan has worked as an associate counsel for Long Island University since 2022 and teaches at Hofstra University.
The couple got engaged on a trip to Paris in August 2017 and married on June 22, 2019.
Keegan suffered two spinal fractures and hypothermia from his plunge and struggle to keep his daughter above the water.
Elliana had mild hypothermia but wasn’t hurt.
Both seem to be fully recovered in a family picture for Michelle’s birthday earlier this month.
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