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Topics: Royal Caribbean, US News
Emily Brown
The father of a 20-year-old man thought to have jumped overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship has shared his belief that he's still alive.
Levion Parker, from North Port, Florida, has been missing since he disappeared from the Liberty of the Seas ship traveling between Cuba and the Bahamas’ Grand Inagua Island on April 4.
The former high school footballer is thought to have been drunk when he went overboard, according to one passenger who'd witnessed the incident.
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Speaking to The New York Post, Bryan Sims said: “He was pretty drunk. As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us. His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess.
“When we got to them, he said to his dad, ‘I’ll fix this right now.’ And he jumped out the window in front of us all.”
It was around 4am when Parker went missing, and another passenger, Deborah Morrison, told the Post the crew was alerted 'immediately'.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Southeast division confirmed the launch of the search and rescue mission on April 4, saying: "#Breaking @USCG crews are searching for a 20-year-old man who went overboard from the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship 57 miles from Great Inagua this morning. USCG Cutter Seneca and Air Station Miami HC-144 crews are conducting the search."
Unfortunately, the search for Parker has so far proved unsuccessful, and on Tuesday (April 9), the US Coast Guard said it had called off its search for Parker.
A spokesperson for the US Coast Guard 7th District Public Affairs Team confirmed to UNILAD that the search had been 'suspended'.
One week on from Parker's disappearance, his father, Francel Parker, told the Daily Sun that he's still holding out hope for his son.
“As soon as he went off the side, I prayed over him," he said. "I was confident the prayers I said over my son were heard. I stand on the word of God. I believe he is alive."
Francel also denied claims that he was arguing with Parker before he went overboard.
He recalled throwing six life rings off the ship in a bid to save his son, who he described as a skilled diver who works on a commercial fishing boat.
Royal Caribbean said it 'immediately' launched search boats to look for the passenger, though it wasn't until approximately 20 minutes after Parker went missing that the ship was able to come to a stop.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told LADbible Group: "Our hearts go out to the family, and we continue to offer them our support and assistance during this difficult time.
"Our policies strictly prohibit guests under the age of 21 from being served alcohol onboard."