A shocked Michigan family has paid tribute to their “genius and witty” son after he fell from a cruise ship balcony in an “unthinkable” accident.
Pierson “Piers” Davis, 12, was with his mother, father and two sisters aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Harmony of the Seas on the last night of the seven-day voyage to the western Caribbean when the tragedy occurred on September 7.
Piers fell from the balcony railing of his family’s 13th-floor stateroom to the bustling Central Park plaza five floors below, just hours before the ship was due to dock again in Galveston, Texas.
The investigation into his death has been taken over by the FBI and Piers’ family gathered near their Coloma home on Saturday for a funeral on their son’s 13th birthday.
“What every parent hopes and prays for doesn’t happen to them. It happened to me,” his mother, Audra Davis, wrote ahead of his funeral. “It happened to us.”
Brilliant and witty Pierson “Piers” Davis, 12, fell from the balcony of a 13th-floor stateroom on the last night of a Royal Caribbean cruise with his family on the Harmony of the Seas.
Mother Audra, father Justin and his two sisters Amelia and Zuzana paid tribute to their ‘beloved middle child’ ahead of his funeral on what would have been his 13th birthday
“I don’t have many words right now,” the 47-year-old added. “My family and I were on a cruise vacation the first week of September and the day before we were due to arrive in port, the unthinkable happened.
‘My son has tragically passed away. He was 12 and would have turned 13 later this month.
“To everyone who has reached out to me and my family to offer your support, love, prayers and good intentions, thank you. It means the world to us.”
Piers was his parents’ “beloved middle child” and was on board with his sisters Amelia and Zuzana for what fellow passengers saw as a birthday party.
Becky Potter and her husband Gavin became friends with the family on board and took a photo of the families eating together.
“We left talking about your precious family and your devotion to your children!” she told Piers’ mother.
“My heart couldn’t break anymore for such a wonderful family!”
Father Justin is a screenwriter and has credits for reality series such as Pretty Wicked, Amazing Race and Date My House.
His wife of 19 years is a manager in compensation operations at Whirlpool in Benton Harbor, where colleagues have a Gofundme call to help the family.
The FBI declined to share details about the investigation other than to say it is “still ongoing.”
Passenger Becky Potter took this photo of Piers on board as their families ate together
Piers fell five stories from a cabin balcony into the Central Park atrium (photo)
The French-built ship was the largest cruise ship in the world when it was launched in 2016, with room for more than 7,000 passengers across 18 decks.
As of Wednesday morning, the company had already surpassed its goal of $7,000, with nearly $30,000 donated by benefactors.
“Our colleague and friend, Audra Davis, has suffered an unimaginable loss,” Sara McLeod, organizer of the appeal, wrote on the page.
‘Her sweet son, Pierson (Piers), passed away last weekend in a tragic accident.
‘Audra has always been a positive inspiration to our team and we hope to help in any way we can.’
The French-built ship was the largest cruise ship in the world when it was launched in 2016, with room for more than 7,000 passengers across 18 decks.
The boat is aimed at family bookings and offers “endless opportunities” for children to “make friends and participate in fun, educational and supervised activities with other cruise passengers their age”.
The boy was a member of the cruise ship’s teen club and many passengers said their children had met the boy before his death.
“The conversations I had to have with my son really confused me,” Shannon Elizabeth wrote from Belfair, Washington.
“My son and he became very close on the cruise, and he saw too much of what happened.”
Mother Audra Davis said she was buoyed by the ‘supernatural’ kindness of strangers
“Despite his age, he possessed a mature sense of gratitude and a heart full of love, and he never hesitated to express it,” his family wrote in their obituary
“He was a sharp-witted man who constantly improved his skills and knowledge, often in Pokémon, other video games, and any new mystery he could think of.”
In their obituary, Piers’ family described him as “sensible beyond his years,” with a “natural self-confidence and social independence.”
“Despite his age, he possessed a mature sense of gratitude and a heart full of love, and he never hesitated to express it,” they wrote.
‘He was a sharp-witted man and constantly improved his skills and knowledge, often in the areas of Pokémon, other video games, and any new mystery he could think of.
‘A keen student, he was fascinated by Mars and the mysteries of space. He wanted to delve deeper into the universe to explore his philosophical ideas.
‘Piers recently discovered his love of golf, but his true peace was in the woods, where he could contemplate and be in touch with nature. This was a place where he liked to sit and think about the secrets of the world, for example, how he could make the world a better place.’
Witnesses said Piers had been playing with a group of friends he had made on board shortly before the accident. Some claimed that chairs had been pushed against the balcony railing.
“My family and I saw the incident unfold right in front of us as we looked out over Central Park from the pool deck,” Christa Schoolfield wrote. “We didn’t see if he was jumping or playing.”
“It had rained that afternoon and the balconies were damp,” Potter added.
‘When you’re standing on the ground, it’s hard to fall, but when you’re sitting on a chair or a wet table, anything is possible.’
Passengers on the Harmony had already been thrown into a panic by a series of “alpha-alpha” emergency calls during the cruise, when the last one reported the 12-year-old’s fatal fall.
Royal Caribbean employees attempted to resuscitate the boy, but he died before the ship docked in Texas.
Piers with his parents and sisters at the start of an earlier holiday
Piers’ family said he was ‘sensible for his age’, with a ‘natural confidence and social ease’
“Piers’ light amazed us,” wrote his Dallas family members Steve, Lori and Ethan Brockett
Border Patrol agents confirmed they were initially involved in the investigation before turning it over to the FBI.
“On September 7, CBP was notified of the death of a passenger on a cruise ship while at sea,” a spokesperson said.
“Upon arriving at the Port of Galveston the next day, CBP officers were asked to briefly assist cruise ship employees on the ship until other law enforcement officers arrived to investigate the incident.”
The FBI declined to share details about the investigation other than to say it is “still ongoing.”
“An FBI maritime liaison, stationed at the Texas City Resident Agency, is working with the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and the cruise line regarding this incident,” a spokesperson said.
Piers’ mother said she was supported by the hundreds of people who had helped her after her son’s death.
“Thank you, I love you. Even though I don’t know you personally, I love you,” she wrote on Facebook.
‘The kindness of strangers at this time was supernatural.’
Royal Caribbean declined to comment.