Levion Parker, a former high school footballer from North Port, Florida, has been missing since he disappeared from the Liberty of the Seas cruise ship on April 4 while it was traveling between Cuba and the Bahamas' Grand Inagua Island. Though even after 9 days after missing his father believes that the young footballer is still alive.
Witnesses on the ship reported that Parker, believed to have been intoxicated, went overboard around 4 am. Passenger Bryan Sims recounted the incident to The New York Post, stating that Parker's father was reprimanding him for his condition before he suddenly jumped out of a window.
Deborah Morrison, another passenger, informed the Post that the crew was alerted immediately after Parker went missing.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Southeast division launched a search and rescue mission the same day. However, despite efforts, the search for Parker was unsuccessful, leading the US Coast Guard to call off the search on April 9.
Francel Parker, Levion's father, expressed hope for his son's return and denied claims of a prior argument. He recalled tossing life rings into the water in an attempt to save Levion, describing him as a skilled diver who works on a commercial fishing boat.
Royal Caribbean, the cruise line operating the Liberty of the Seas, stated that search boats were deployed promptly after Parker's disappearance, though the ship could only stop approximately 20 minutes later. The incident occurred while the ship was en route between Cuba and the Bahamas' Grand Inagua Island.
