Autopsies reveal cause of death of US lawyer and wife onboard Mike Lynch’s superyacht

Seven lives were lost when the the yacht Bayesian, belonging to British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, capsized off the coast of Sicily

Autopsies have been carried out on a couple who drowned on Mike Lynch’s superyacht when it sank off the coast of Sicily last month.

Seven lives were lost when the British-flagged boat, called the Bayesian, went down in a freak storm while anchored near the Sicilian capital of Palermo on 19 August.

British technology tycoon Mike Lynch and his 19-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch were among those who died, while his wife, Angela Bacares, survived with 14 others.

On Monday, Italian authorities said the first post-mortem examinations on the victims had been carried out on US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda. The results confirmed that the pair had drowned.

Morvillo was a partner at Clifford Chance, a white-collar law firm. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor who investigated the September 11 terror attacks, according to the New York Post.

The first autopsies were carried out on Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Post-mortem examinations are planned on Wednesday on the bodies of Jonathan Bloomer, chairman of Morgan Stanley’s London-based investment banking subsidiary, and his wife Judy.

They are also due to take place for the remaining three victims, Mr Lynch, who had organised the yacht trip to celebrate a recent legal victory, his daughter Hannah and the yacht’s cook, Recaldo Thomas.

Mr Morvillo was one of Mr Lynch’s US lawyers in a fraud case involving the sale in 2011 of Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in an £8.3 billion deal that quickly turned sour over allegations Mr Lynch had cooked the books to overvalue Autonomy. He was acquitted in June.

What we know so far

The British-flagged vessel  was carrying 12 passengers and 10 members of crew when it sank at around 5am local time near Palermo.

The 56-metre (184ft) luxury yacht sank during what appears to have been a sudden downburst. These are powerful winds that descend from a thunderstorm and spread out quickly once they hit the ground. The wreckage now sitting at a depth of 50m below the surface of the sea.

Of the 22 passengers and crew on board, 15 people including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares were rescued after escaping on a lifeboat.

Tributes were paid to those who died, with Hannah’s sister calling her “the most amazing, supportive and joyful sister and best friend to me”. She had been due to start studying English at Oxford University in October.

Mr Lynch founded the software giant Autonomy in 1996 and sat on the board of a number of prestigious institutions.

His close friend and colleague Andrew Kanter said: “Mike was the most brilliant mind and caring person I have ever known. Over nearly a quarter century I had the privilege of working beside someone unrivalled in their understanding of technology and business.

“There is simply no other UK technology entrepreneur of our generation who has had such an impact on so many people.”

Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah both died when the yacht sank in the storm off the coast of Sicily (Tancredi)

What happens now?

Prosecutors are investigating the captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, and two crew members for possible responsibility in connection with the sinking.

Mr Cutfield is under investigation for possible manslaughter and culpable shipwreck charges. Tim Parker Eaton — the engineer who was in charge of securing the yacht’s engine room — and sailor Matthew Griffith — who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster — are now under investigation for the same possible charges, their lawyer said.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is heading the investigation, has said his team will consider each possible element of responsibility including those of the captain, the crew, individuals in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

Investigators are focusing on how a sailing vessel deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed. They added raising the Bayesian and examining the yacht for evidence would provide key elements to the investigation.

Maritime director of western Sicily, Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda of the coastguard, could not confirm how long it would take to retrieve the shipwreck of the sunken yacht, adding recovering the fuel tanks was a “priority for us because it has environmental knock-on effects”.