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The FBI is investigating the case of Anna Kepner who was found dead on a Carnival Cruise
Andrea CavallierMonday 24 November 2025 16:19 GMT
CloseAnna Kepner's cause of death on cruise revealed
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A family vacation aboard the Carnival Horizon turned into a nightmare when 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead in her cabin earlier this month.
Her grandparents now say the FBI privately told them Anna likely died from asphyxiation – possibly from a bar hold – and that the teen suspected in her death is her own stepbrother.
“We were all having a great time,” grandmother Barbara Kepner told ABC News in an exclusive interview Monday. “I couldn't fathom why anyone would wanna hurt my baby.”
Anna, described by her grandparents as “mighty,” independent, and eager to join the Navy after high school, was traveling with three generations of a blended family. The teens, Anna and two step-siblings, chose to share a room. Earlier this month, Anna was found dead on the cruise and the FBI launched an investigation to determine what happened to the teen.
“It’s all family,” her grandfather Jeffrey Kepner said. “Our dynamic is we’re all just family.”
open image in galleryAnna Kepner, described by her grandparents as ‘mighty’ independent, was traveling with three generations of a blended family when she was found dead in her cabin. Her family has no revealed a cause of her death. (Temple Christian School)The most wrenching detail, her grandparents say, is that authorities told the family that Anna’s stepbrother is a suspect in her death.
“I know that those two kids cared about each other in the right way,” Barbara said. “I can't accuse him because I don't know what happened in that room.”
On the final night she was seen alive, Anna’s braces has been bothering her so she briefly went back to the room, her grandmother said. But then later returned dressed up to join them in the casino.
“She just said, ‘Meemaw, I think I'm gonna go back to my room for a little bit, I don't feel well,’” Barbara recalled. “And she must have felt better, because she got dressed up. And she came down, we were playing in the casino. And she sat down and she played $20. And she didn't win anything. And she said, ‘Meemaw, I love you guys, I'll see you later.’ She'd pop in and out to check in with us. And we never saw her again after that.”
A medical alert sounded the next morning. Jeffrey recognized the room number.
“I went blank,” he said. “I still wake up seeing that.”
open image in galleryHer grandparents now say the FBI privately told them Anna likely died from asphyxiation – possibly from a bar hold – and that the teen suspected in her death is her own stepbrother (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)A crew member found Anna’s body “concealed under the bed,” the grandparents said, with bruising on her neck.
When Anna’s father entered the room, Barbara said, “all he had to do was look at her and he knew she was gone.” When her husband told her, she said, “I just screamed. I couldn’t stop screaming.”
The family says investigators told them security footage showed the stepbrother was “the only one seen going in and the only one seen going out” of the cabin that night. No charges have been filed.
Barbara said the teen later told her he “does not remember what happened.” She added, “I believe, to him, that is his truth.”
The teen, who has not been named, was interviewed by investigators, and then hospitalized for psychiatric observation after the ship docked. He was later released to stay with a relative, according to the family and court records.
In a separate custody case involving his mother, her attorney wrote that a “criminal case may be initiated” against one of her children and that she could not testify because it “could be prejudicial… in this pending criminal investigation.”
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has completed an autopsy but has not released findings.
But Anna’s grandparents say they were told there were no signs of sexual assault and no indication of drugs or alcohol in Anna’s system. Toxicology results are pending.
“The biggest question that I want answered is the why,” Jeffrey said. “And that’s the answer that I don’t know if we’ll ever get.”
Barbara said the tragedy has taken more than one child from them.
“I now know how she died. It helps a little bit, but it’s not going to bring Anna back,” she said. “No matter what we find out… it’s not going to bring either one of these children back.”
“We were looking forward to seeing her grow,” Jeffrey added.
Carnival said it is supporting the family and cooperating with the FBI.
