NEW YORK -- The FBI is looking into the disappearance of a woman off the side of a cruise ship Sunday night, trying to determine whether the incident was foul play or an accident.

The operator of the ship, Norwegian Cruise Line, said Tuesday that initial reports indicate that 46-year-old woman was attempting to climb from one exterior balcony to an adjoining balcony and subsequently fell overboard some 45 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, N.J.

Investigators said the woman and her boyfriend had a stateroom adjacent to a different stateroom occupied by friends. The woman was apparently attempting to climb from one balcony to the other when she fell from the Norwegian Dawn cruise liner headed for Bermuda, the cruise line said.

While FBI and Coast Guard officials declined to identify the woman, a source familiar with the case has identified the victim as Mindy Jordan, of New Jersey.

Mindy Jordan's mother Louise Horton told WNBC.com that her daughter's boyfriend, Jorge Caputo, was physically abusive. Horton, from Bordentown, N.J., produced pictures of large bruises on her daughter and alleged that they came at the hands of Caputo.

News 4 new York left a message on Caputo's home phone seeking comment, in case he checks for messages during the course of this cruise.

An FBI spokesman said agents with the FBI's New York office would speak with witnesses to try to learn the circumstances surrounding the woman's disappearance.

However, the FBI will not meet the ship when it docks in Bermuda on Wednesday. Authorities in Bermuda will talk to witnesses and employees.

The cruise operator said it is cooperating fully with authorities investigating the cause of the incident.

Rough weather Monday forced the U.S. Coast Guard to stop searching for the missing woman. The cruise ship was headed for Bermuda from New York City when the woman went overboard at about 7:50 p.m. Sunday, just five hours after leaving a Manhattan port, cruise officials said.

In a statement, the cruise line said the ship immediately began a search and rescue operation, but did not provide further details. On Monday, the Coast Guard said continuing winds over 50 mph and heavy rain prevented it from resuming the search. Coast Guard officials said helicopters based in New Jersey and Cape Cod were able to search for the woman fro several hours.

Officials said the water temperature was in the 50s and that a person wound not likely survive more than a couple of hours in those conditions.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family and friends of the guest during this difficult time," said Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews.

At midnight Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard released the ship and took over search and rescue operations.