Missing teen's parents break silence after he jumped off cruise ship into 'shark-infested' waters
The parents of the 18-year-old high school graduate who jumped off a cruise ship in the Bahamas have broken their silence following his presumed death.
Cameron Robbins, from Louisiana, was celebrating his high school graduation on a sunset cruise on May 24 when he went overboard allegedly for a dare.
The teen attended a sunset party with his friends and at around 9.40pm, Robbins jumped off the boat into the 'shark-infested' ocean near Athol Island.
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On 27 May, the search for Robbins was called off, despite the best efforts of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, with the assistance of the US Coast Guard Southeast and Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to Cameron Robbins’ family and friends,” they tweeted, explaining they were suspending the search.
Following his presumed death, a memorial service was planned for Robbins on Sunday (June 4). Speaking from their home before the service took place, Robbins’ parents, William and Shari Robbins, both 54, said they are ‘mourning’ their ‘funny and kind-hearted son’ and were aware of the impact he had on people.
“We are just mourning our son right now,” Ms Robbins told The New York Post. “We appreciate you calling. Maybe we will be able to talk more later.”
“We appreciate everyone’s support,” Mr Robbins added.
The University Lab School Director Kevin George told news station WAFB that Robbins, who attended the school for 13 years, was a keen baseball player for the school.
He said: “Words fall short of expressing the worry our entire school community is feeling. Extra counselors will be available on campus to speak with students and faculty who are struggling to process this news. Our thoughts are with the Robbins family, and we ask that you keep them in your thoughts as well.”
Authorities confirmed last week that they are no longer investigating the theory suggesting that Robbins was attacked by a shark after he jumped into the water.
Brian Trascher, a spokesperson for the United Cajun Navy, told Fox News the footage is too dark to tell exactly what happened to the recent high school grad, with the theory he was attacked by a shark no longer being investigated at the request of Robbins' family.
"None of the experts consulted can definitely say what's in the video due to the quality and length of the video," Trascher told the outlet.
"The Robbins family has requested that we not entertain that theory any longer, so our official position is that we don't know what happened while Cam was in the water."
Authorities have since designated the teen as ‘lost at sea’.
Gregory Robinson