Search ended for Bruce Okrepki, 18, missing Carnival Fantasy Cruise ship in the gulf off Tampa

May 27, 2009
http://www.wtsp.com/
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Tampa, Florida -- The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a teenager who went overboard from a cruise ship Sunday night about 150 miles southwest of Tampa.
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The Coast Guard says it searched nearly 5,300 square miles for Bruce Okrepki, 18, of Hammond, La. He was reported missing from the Carnival Fantasy during a trip to celebrate his high school graduation.
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O'Krepki recently graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Hammond, La., where he ran track and played soccer. He was with about 35 classmates on the ship. His uncle Rick O'Krepki said the teen's parents were among the chaperones on the cruise, according to the Associated Press.
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"After an exhaustive search effort to find Bruce O'krepki, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our active search efforts," said Capt. Drew Pearson, the Seventh Coast Guard District's chief of search and rescue. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."