A teen who jumped overboard for a dare on a cruise ship in the Bahamas last week has still not been located.
Cameron Robbins, 18, was celebrating his recent high school graduation on a sunset cruise in the Bahamas on Wednesday last week (May 24) when he reportedly jumped overboard for a dare, prompting a large-scale search.
The teen - who is from Louisiana - had only graduated from the University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge one week ago, and was on a trip to the Bahamas with students from other local high schools, per WAFB.
Soon after arriving, the outlet reported that Robbins and his friends embarked on a party cruise. It was during the cruise that the teen jumped off the boat in response to a dare at around 9:40 PM. Witnesses reported seeing him splashing around in the dark water several feet from the boat, before disappearing. This was also captured on video and shared across social media.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force contacted the Coast Guard for assistance later that evening at 11:30 PM after Robbins fell off the Blackbeard's Revenge sunset cruise ship, according to a statement released by the US Coast Guard.
However on Saturday (May 27), after a massive two-day effort led by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the search was called off - and it has not been confirmed whether a body was found.
"U.S. Coast Guard District Seven deployed multiple search and rescue assets in response to an agency assistance request from our partners in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF)," Lt. Commander Matthew Spado, Coast Guard liaison officer to the Bahamas, said in the statement. "Our Coast Guard command center and aircrews based in Miami supported RBDF search and rescue efforts since the initial report Wednesday evening, and continued through Friday evening."
The statement continued: "We were informed by the RBDF this evening that they were suspending the active search efforts pending further developments, and were not requesting further Coast Guard assistance after notifying the Robbins family. We offer our sincerest condolences to Cameron Robbins' family and friends."
Robbins' family had flown out to the Bahamas the day after he jumped overboard, however, they soon released a statement revealing that they were returning to Raton Rouge after the search was called off. "We want to thank the Bahamas government, the US Coast Guard, the United Cajun Navy, and Congressman Garrett Graves for everything they have done for us," the statement read, per The Independent.
"In this time of grief, we thank our family, friends, and well-wishers for granting us the privacy we need to properly remember our son and mourn his loss," it continued.
Robbins' friends and teachers gathered together at his former high school for a prayer circle, with the school's Principal stating: "In times like these, we must come together and support each other. Words fall short of expressing the worry our entire school community is feeling," per The New York Post.
Our thoughts go out to Cameron Robbins' family and friends at this devastating time.
