The father of Levion Parkerthe 20 year old Florida An outdoorsman who drunkenly jumped to his death in front of his family on a Royal Caribbean cruise last week is now questioning how his son managed to get so drunk despite being underage.
In an interview with his hometown newspaper, The Daily SunFrancel Parker insisted that her son was not suicidal and that they were not arguing before his fatal dive – a statement that contradicts what others on board told the New York Post Office they testified.
Instead, Francel told the newspaper that his son’s spontaneous jump was done out of ignorance of drunkenness – something he suggested should have been avoidable.
“We don’t drink,” he told Sun. “I would like to know how my son received so much alcohol.”
Despite being over international waters at the time of the fatal dive, approximately halfway between Grand Inagua Island and Cuba, cruises departing and returning from U.S. ports are prohibited from serving alcohol to anyone under 21. but did not address testimony from witnesses who claimed that Levion was drunk.
Parker added that he is hopeful that his son, an outdoorsman who won a saltwater fishing tournament last month, is still alive somewhere in the Caribbean — even though Thursday was a full week since he disappeared into the ocean, and two days from the US coast. The Guard called off its search.
“As soon as he fell, I prayed for him,” he said, adding that his son was a skilled diver. “I was confident that the prayers I prayed for my son were heard. I stand in the word of God. I believe he is alive.
The tragedy happened around 4am on April 4, on the 11th deck of the huge cruise ship Liberty of the Seas. Witnesses told the Publish Last week, Levion was in a hot tub with his brother when he was approached by his father, who seemed angry that he was drinking.
Authorities identify son who jumped from cruise ship in front of his family
After what he considered an argument, witness Bryan Sims told the Publish he heard Levion tell his father, “I’ll fix this right now.” Moments later, he jumped into the dark ocean below – an incident that Sims described as being an “impulsive jump.”
Sims added that the ship was moving “very fast” and that Francel shouted for the crew to alert the captain, which brought the ship to a complete stop within 20 minutes. The vessel launched rescue boats, but to no avail – Levion was nowhere to be found.
Francel told Sun he threw six life rings overboard, hoping one would reach his son, who he said accompanied him aboard along with his younger brother to take a break from their work on a commercial fishing boat.
Social media posts showed that Levion graduated from North Port High School in southwest Florida, between Sarasota and Fort Myers, in 2022. He played football there and posted regularly about fishing and hunting.
In its only statement on the incident, Royal Caribbean said last week that it was “providing support and assistance” to Levion’s family.
“The ship’s crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort along with the U.S. Coast Guard,” it said, adding, “For the privacy of the guest and his family, we have no additional details to share.”
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