Officials in Florida are investigating the disappearance of a passenger from a cruise ship who did not return with the ship after the ship docked.
Kevin McGrath, 26, was on a Carnival cruise from PortMiami to Bimini, Bahamas, over the Labor Day weekend. However, when the Carnival Conquest returned to the United States on Monday, he was not on board.
Angel Rodriguez, a detective with the Miami-Dade Police Department, told PEOPLE that “McGrath was last seen by his brother around 2 a.m. in his cabin.”
The missing passenger “was supposed to meet his family for breakfast before disembarking, but he never arrived,” as the group members planned. After his loved ones were unable to locate him, a search was conducted by the ship’s staff and security guards, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
The FBI is investigating the ‘suspicious death’ of a Carnival cruise passenger
Rodriguez said a search of the ship’s cameras and security devices did not show that McGrath was overreacting. The detective added that the U.S. Coast Guard also responded to assist in the search, which returned negative results.
Kevin McGrath, missing Carnival Cruise passenger.
Miami Dade Police Department; Getty
A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told PEOPLE that “the Carnival Care Team is supporting the guest’s family” at this difficult time.
A cruise company representative previously told Tampa NBC News affiliate WFLA-8 that U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not locate McGrath during the disembarkation process, adding that “Miami Dade police eventually let the ship sail.”
Fox News Digital also spoke with a Carnival Cruise Line representative who said the U.S. Coast Guard also conducted a helicopter search for the missing man.
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Authorities described McGrath as 5 feet 9 inches tall, 170 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and gray sneakers.
Anyone with knowledge of McGrath’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Miami-Dade Police Special Victims Bureau/Missing Persons Squad at 305-715-3300 or Crime Stoppers of Miami-Dade & Florida Keys either online or at 305-471-8477 ( TIPS).
In July, Carnival Cruise Line issued a statement about another man who reportedly went missing while on one of their ships in Florida.
“His companion notified the crew late in the afternoon of his missing status after he had not been seen all day,” Carnival told PEOPLE in a July 24 statement regarding 30-year-old Jaylen Hill.
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Carnival Cruise Lines.
Getty
Hill was traveling aboard the Carnival Elation while returning to its home port of Jacksonville after a four-day trip to the Bahamas.
“Unfortunately, after an exhaustive search on board and review of security camera video, it was determined that he had jumped,” the company said at the time. “Coast authorities were notified and the crew was advised to proceed to Jacksonville.”
About two months before the Hill incident, a 35-year-old man, identified as Ronnie Lee Peale Jr., was riding the Carnival Magic when he fell into the sea in Florida.
On May 31, the US Coast Guard called off the search after covering more than 5,171 square miles in a 60-hour period. “We never take the decision to suspend active searches until further developments lightly. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Peale,” the Coast Guard said in a press release at the time.
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