A top New York City lawyer who has been missing ever since the Bayesian yacht sank off the coast of Italy on Monday morning had eerily written about his family living “happily ever after” in one of his final social media posts before vanishing with his wife in the shipwreck.

Christopher Morvillo, a 59-year-old lawyer who helped British tech tycoon Mike Lynch — the owner of the capsized luxury boat and one of the six people missing — win his fraud trial, thanked the legal team who helped their success in his penultimate LinkedIn post before the tragedy. 

At the end of the eerie post, he wrote: “And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo.” 

“None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after….” 

Morvillo is a partner at white-collar law firm Clifford Chance, which has an office on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. He is a former federal prosecutor who worked on the criminal investigation of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, according to his online bio. He specializes in cases involving insider trading and corporate fraud.

Clifford Chance celebrated Lynch’s acquittal in a June 6 press release on its site. Lynch was accused of fraud related to Hewlett Packard’s acquisition of his company, Autonomy.

“The acquittal ends a 13-year legal battle, regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s biggest-ever fraud cases,” the firm said.

Morvillo and his co-counsel added, “This verdict closes the book on a relentless 13-year effort to pin HP’s well-documented ineptitude on Dr. Lynch. Thankfully, the truth has finally prevailed. We thank Dr. Lynch for his trust throughout this ordeal and hope that he can now return home to England to resume his life and continue innovating.”

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:

• A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing seven passengers.
• British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, was the final one to be recovered.
• Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage, according to the Telegraph. 
• Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the Bayesian sank Monday shows it disappearing.
• A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the Bayesian’s speedy demise, maritime experts say.

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The press release ends with a statement from Lynch, saying, ” I am looking forward to returning to the UK and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field.” 

Morvillo’s wife, Neda, a jewelry designer, is also one of the six passengers still missing, officials said. 

The 160-foot luxury sailboat with 22 people aboard sank off the port of Porticello when a violent storm struck at sunrise Monday, the Italian coast guard said. 

Police divers resumed their search for the missing passengers Tuesday, attempting to reach the ship’s hull some 164 feet underwater, where officials believe people may be trapped. 

The search for those missing has been slow because the Bayesian now sits 50 meters below the surface, where divers can only stay for up to 12 minutes, fire rescue officials said in a statement Tuesday. 

Fifteen of the ship’s passengers and crew have survived, including a mother who was holding her 1-year-old daughter above her head to keep her from drowning. 

One body has been recovered and identified as the on-board chef, officials said. 

Fire officials have said the six people unaccounted for will be referred to as “missing” until they are located in the wreckage. 

In addition to the Morvillos and Lynch, the missing include Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, as well as Jonathan Bloomer, a chairman at Morgan Stanley International, and Bloomer’s wife, Judy.

Morvillo, who has residences in New York City and South Kent, Connecticut, hails from a family of lawyers.

In an interview with the American Lawyer in 2018, he described working alongside his late father and three brothers at the firm, Morvillo Abramowitz.

“I learned more during those years than at any other point in my career, largely from just watching my father skillfully navigate clients through some of the most complex challenges that this job can throw
at you,” he said. “He was the best mentor I’ve ever had.”

With Post wires