Tragic last act of superyacht crew member before she was knifed to death in ship's engine room is revealed as boyfriend pays tribute
Paige Bell, 20, from South Africa, was found dead in the engine room of the luxury motor boat Far From It on July 3 when the boat was moored in the Harbour Island resort.
Now, Paige's distraught boyfriend Franco Kritzinger, who also worked on board the ship, told of how he and his stewardess partner had enjoyed a cup of coffee on the deck of the £120,000-a-week charter yacht before he took guests ashore in the ship's tender.
When he returned he found a scene of chaos on board but the full horror was kept from him until the arrest of the ship's mechanic who has been charged with her murder.
Police arrested a 39-year-old Mexican engineer who worked with Paige after discovering him near her body, and he was later charged with her murder.
The man appeared before magistrates in the Bahamian capital of Nassau last week charged with Paige's murder but was not asked to make a plea and was not permitted bail.
He was remanded in custody until November 20 when he may face further charges.
Speaking to You magazine boyfriend Franco said: 'Paige was like sunshine. She always had a smile on her face. You don't realise how many people care until something like this.
Paige's distraught boyfriend Franco Kritzinger, who also worked on board the ship, told of how he and his stewardess partner had enjoyed a cup of coffee on the deck of the boat moments before her death
'She was just lovely and would never harm anything or anyone and was so very special. I just feel so sorry for her parents Michelle and John who flew out here last week.
'Paige enjoyed working on the yachts but it wasn't her life dream. She had a beautiful voice and could have become a singer but her plan was to study and to become a doctor.
'That was her dream in life and what she wanted to be and she talked about it a lot.
'I remember on the day it happened we had a coffee together that morning and everything was normal and I left with the guests but when I came back Paige was gone….'.
He added: 'The Bahamas held a very special place in our hearts and we went everywhere together for two years but this was so beautiful and it was here where we were happy.
'I can't believe what's happened. Everything now is just so sad' he said.
Paige's 21st birthday was last Monday and she had been due to fly home from the Bahamas to Durban to celebrate with her parents and her elder sister Chelsey.
Instead thousands of crews from the yachting community worldwide at her mother Michelle's behest held a minutes silence and sounded their ships horns at 1pm Bahamian time.
Many accepted her mother's invitation to then tuck into Paige's favourite red velvet cake.
Paige and Franco had left the 110 foot Sweet Emocean superyacht in January and joined as a couple on the bigger vessel where she was the 'meet and greet' face to guests.
The cold-blooded murder of the attractive fun-loving popular stewardess rocked the island where millionaire's and numerous royals and superstars take holidays in paradise.
Fellow staff could not find Paige at around lunch time and searched all six luxury VIP suites and the crew quarters before one member of staff went down to the engine room
The crew member found a scene of horror with Paige dead and the blood soaked mechanic by her and the police were called along with medics and a doctor who certified her dead.
A friend of Paige's said: 'She was last seen kissing Franco goodbye as he was about to take the tender out and that was about 10am and she went inside and just disappeared.
'As young girls we have to be pretty savvy around some of the super-rich guests who may think you are part of the paid entertainment but you trust your crew mates.
'Paige was a golden girl and for one of our own to do this to her is despicable' she said.
The alleged murder shocked the exclusive resort of Harbour Island.
It lies 60 miles to the east of the capital Nassau just off the larger island of Eleuthera.
Bill Gates has a mansion on the tiny island and regular tourists who holiday there include Mick Jagger, Prince Harry, Tom Cruise, Kardashians, Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks.
It is known as the 'Billionaires Backyard' as over 20 billionaires live on the paradise island.
The super yacht was moored on the Valentine Marina which was sealed off while police and forensic officers examined the grim scene on the 142-foot yacht and removed the body.
Paige's distraught parents Michelle and John flew out to the Bahamas having put out a poignant message saying they were going to bring her home after she is cremated.
A Royal Bahamas Police Force spokesman confirmed the murder suspect remained in prison and said there would be no further comment until he reappeared in court in November.
Just after 1pm on July 3, police were alerted to an incident at the marina on Harbour Island, an exclusive resort 60 miles east of the capital Nassau.
Cops boarded the 43-metre yacht Far From It, where they were told that Paige had not been seen for a short period of time.
They found her unresponsive in the yacht's engine room with visible injuries, before a doctor attended the scene and confirmed she had died.
She was found near the engineer who had severe injuries to his arm in what police described as a suspected suicide attempt.
He was apprehended, cautioned and taken to a nearby clinic for treatment, police said in a statement, before he was later charged with murder.
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