The grandfather of a toddler who fell to her death from an open window on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in July has been charged with negligent homicide.

Salvatore Anello, 50, was playing with one-year-old Chloe Wiegand while the ship was docked in Puerto Rico when she fell from the 11th floor. The Indiana family blamed the cruise ship company for the accident. But on Monday, San Juan authorities alleged Mr Anello was responsible for Chloe’s death. The family’s attorney Michael Winkleman said the charges were ” pouring salt on the open wounds of this grieving family”.

He said the fall was “clearly a tragic accident” and that the family’s goal is for something like this to never happen again. Mr Winkleman is representing the family in a civil suit being prepared against Royal Caribbean. Mr Anello is being held on $80,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on 20 November. Chloe’s parents are Kimberly and Alan Wiegand. Mr Wiegand is a South Bend, Indiana, police officer.(BBC)…[+]