Groveland woman, 24, dies aboard cruise ship off Australia; was part of singing group

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A 24-year-old Groveland woman died on board a cruise ship sailing off the coast of Australia, where she was the lead singer in the on-board show, and her death is not considered suspicious, according to Australian authorities, the cruise line, and published reports.

The body of Jackie Kastrinelis was found in her cabin on board the Regent Cruise Lines’ Seven Seas Voyager when it docked in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday. Australian officials initially treated her cabin like a crime scene, but they declared in a statement today that they do not think Kastrinelis was the victim of a crime.

“The Crime Division is no longer treating the death as suspicious,’’ Police Detective Superintendent James O’Brien said in the statement posted on the Northern Territory Police webpage. “Further toxicology results will be analysed in due course to determine the exact cause of death.’’

Kastrinelis’s relatives, reached by telephone today, said they were overwhelmed by her death and declined comment.

According to the NT News in Australia, Kastrinelis was the lead singer for a 12-member company of performers working for Jean Ann Ryan Productions, a Florida-based company that provides entertainers for cruise ships and other venues.

Jean Ann Ryan told the Austrialian news outlet that Kastrinelis started working for her in 2011. She called Kastrinelis a “great singer’’ whose death had shocked her fellow cast members. She called Kastrinelis a “ray of sunshine, a life force and a beautiful person. … She loved performing, she was a great singer.”

The cruise line confirmed Kastrinelis’s death but declined to identify her by name. “A crew member on the Seven Seas Voyager passed away unexpectedly this weekend,’’ the company said in a statement. “The Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ family is deeply saddened by the loss and our hearts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones. Out of respect for the family, we will not be disclosing this individual’s identity.’’

Kastrinelis, after graduation from Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury, attended the University of Hartford where she was a reporter on the student-run television news channel, STN 2, according to the station’s Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that STN2 is able to confirm that former anchor and reporter Jackie Kastrinelis, a member of the Hartt [School at University of Hartford] Class of 2010 died over the weekend,’’ the station posted on Facebook.

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.