JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A search has been suspended for a 30-year-old man who jumped overboard from a Carnival cruise ship on Sunday morning, Coast Guard officials said in an update.
The Carnival Elation was returning to its homeport of Jacksonville from a four-day cruise to the Bahamas. According to the Coast Guard, Jaylen Hill went overboard about 95 miles east of Melbourne.
A Carnival spokesperson said the crew was notified by Hill's traveling companion Sunday afternoon that he was missing and had not been seen all day. Crews then conducted an "exhaustive on-board search" and reviewed security camera footage to determine Hill jumped overboard, the statement said.
Carnival notified shoreside authorities and was advised to continue to Jacksonville, where the ship returned on Monday morning.
"We offer our deepest condolences to the Hill family," Petty Officer Eric Rodriguez with D7 said in a statement. "Our crews take our life saving mission very seriously. Any time we can't bring a loved one home to their family is a pain we all feel."
Pending any further developments, Coast Guard officials say they have suspended the search. Officials also say they searched more than 1,347 square miles in hopes of finding Hill.
At least two other passengers have gone overboard from Carnival cruise ships off the coast of Florida this year.
A 43-year-old man reportedly jumped off the Carnival Mardi Gras in April as the ship was on its way to Port Canaveral. A 35-year-old man named Ronnie Peale Junior is believed to have fallen off the Carnival Magic in May off the coast of Jacksonville. The extensive search for Peale was suspended after two days.
“The decision to suspend the active search efforts pending further development is never one we take lightly. We offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Peale’s family and friends," the Coast Guard said at the time.