OAN’s Noah Herring
5:11 PM – Tuesday, May 30, 2023
The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for a missing teen who reportedly jumped off a ship during a high school graduation trip to the Bahamas.
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18-year-old Cameron Robbins, who was on a trip celebrating his graduation from University High Lab School Baton Rouge, had reportedly been “dared” to jump overboard at around 11:30 p.m. off the Blackbeard’s Revenge sunset cruise ship, according to witnesses.
The teen was reportedly on the boat with several of his recently graduated friends before he jumped and was seen splashing in the water before finally disappearing into the ocean.
Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Spado, Coast Guard liaison officer to the Bahamas, said “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 Defense Force.”
“We were informed by the RBDF this evening that they were suspending the active search efforts pending further developments, and we’re not requesting further Coast Guard assistance after notifying the Robbins family. We offer our sincerest condolences to Cameron Robbins’ family and friends.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to support the boy’s family.
His mother was described as a kind and devoted teacher who is going through an “unimaginable situation.”
The fundraiser read, “Please continue to pray for Cameron, Cassie, Cole, Shari and Will. My heart is so heavy.”
The friends and school teachers of Robbins’ gathered for a prayer circle at University High Lab School, which is run by LSU’s College of Human Sciences and Education.
The family said in a statement that they would be returning to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after the search was called off.
“We want to thank the Bahamas government, the U.S. Coast Guard, the United Cajun Navy, and Congressman Garrett Graves for everything they have done for us,” the statement read. “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.”
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