FL - Anna Kepner, 18, dies aboard Carnival cruise ship traveling from Miami to Caribbean, FBI launch probe, 7 Nov 2025

[Hexe]

In my world of being a teen/ young woman, long in the past of course, it’s alcohol and male lust that’s a deadly and destructive combination IMO

And it's men's responsibility to keep their lust on leash. Alcohol is not an excuse here.

 

[Silverstorm]

I see this as not protecting your child. Her father and step mother should have protected her from his wife’s child that had severe behavior issues.
Sometimes we have to have uncomfortable conversations and address the elephant in the room.
Maybe if his issues had been addressed not only would she have not been in a room with him maybe he should never have married her.Her having a child with severe psychological problems is not in YOUR child’s best interest.

 

[mickey2942]

Well, if nothing else, it unfortunately demonstrates the sad reality of blended families. It isn't the Hollywood Fantasy of "Yours, Mine, and Ours".

Today's families are so complex. For many of my students, as a class assignment I had them complete a "Genogram" with them in the middle, and everyone in their family. It was crazy how many kids had multiple step siblings, half siblings, and the extended family. It was actually quite helpful for me, when Parent Teacher night came along and I often had 2 sets of parents for each child.

 

[Maat99]

I do not think it was an attempted SA, I feel like there would at least have been some evidence of that from initial reports. I think the stepbrother just got extremely angry over something, and that combined with his previous feelings put him over the top. I'd also say it could have been accidental and he just meant to make her unconscious with the chokehold, but that wouldn't explain the stuff afterward with using the life vests to try to cover it up.

Idk - I would be really surprised if this doesnt have an element of attempted sexual assault or coercion. If he was angry over something, IMO it is more likely because she wouldn’t comply in some way with sexual advances vs. you left a towel on the floor or some other beef. The statistics on the number of women who are sexually assaulted before even turning 18 can speak for themselves. Jmo.

 

[Leilei]

I agree it was wrong to make her share a room with the 16-yr old who was already obsessed with her. I would not put my daughter in that position. I would say to my husband I'm sharing a room with her and you boys will have the other room.

The more I hear of the preexisting problems the 16 year old stepbrother had, the more reason I can't believe the mother didn't do this.

It's not her mother, it's her second step-mother, and she barely knew her or the other kids, from what I've read.
Step-mother may not have been as invested in making sure Anna was comfortable/secure for whatever reason, including taking her sons side in any issues that had popped up previously (just me speculating here). It's certainly not unheard of in combined families.
However, Anna's father should have stepped up on behalf of his daughter.
Terrible all the way around.
IMO.

 

[su5ie]

Has it been reported what psychological issues he had ? Apologies if its already been said just catching up

 

[Dotta]

I agree it was wrong to make her share a room with the 16-yr old who was already obsessed with her. I would not put my daughter in that position. I would say to my husband I'm sharing a room with her and you boys will have the other room.

The more I hear of the preexisting problems the 16 year old stepbrother had, the more reason I can't believe the mother didn't do this.

These are exactly my thoughts too.

A teen girl with a teen boy (not blood relatives) together in a room.
Not to mention her being apprehensive about him earlier.
How weird and plain thoughtless!
To put it mildly.

SMH

RIP to the poor girl

JMO

 

[Silverstorm]

My apologies. It was her stepmother and her father on the cruise.

 

[Mdcastle]

Maybe not a popular opinion on here, where we probably tend to be more distrustful and suspicious than society as a whole, but I can at least understand Mom's line of thinking- you want to be in a cabin together with your life partner, you want to think your teenagers can be put in a room together without one of them murdering another one, maybe the warnings were just a teenager that hated her new sibling, a jilted boyfriend.

 

[gnsndr33]

Do you know how easy it is to walk up to a bar (over 21), order a drink, bring it back to stateroom to the underage drinker? Very.

Yes I do know how easy that is. I was replying to the post that said 18 year olds are allowed to drink in international waters, not that they can sneak drinks. I 100% agree with you I was just saying the rules not what did or can happen. I have 2 sons (adults now) and have been on cruises with them and it definitely happens.

 

[Mdcastle]

I don't buy the theory that he slipped something in her drink. That raises two issues 1) Where does he get a drug while on a cruise, and 2) How does he slip it into her drink while everyone is sitting down in the middle of the main dining room? Think it's more likely that she got sick from Norovirus or seasickness or whatever and went down to her cabin, and T.H. saw and took this as an opportunity when she'd be in the cabin alone and everyone else was out enjoying the ship.

 

[squareandrabbet]

Also, 18 may be a legal adult...please remember. They are still teenagers. Not much difference between a 17 year old and 18 year old, except legality.

I'd say this about the stepbrother too.

It's guaranteed known (last I checked) that 16 year olds do not have a fully developed frontal lobe, tend not to think things through, and that teenagers in general, male or female (though the showy instances of nightmare behavior a la TV series "Jackass", tends to be driven by the males), that they are prone to risk-taking behavior they can't fully process the pros and cons of, which is one of the reasons why parents staring at their teen with the broken arm after attempting to toboggan off the roof of their house, asking "What on earth possessed you to do such a thing?", are near-uniformly greeted with shrugs and (if any speech at all takes place) variants on:

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

 

[kkkkatie]

Maybe not a popular opinion on here, where we probably tend to be more distrustful and suspicious than society as a whole, but I can at least understand Mom's line of thinking- you want to be in a cabin together with your life partner, you want to think your teenagers can be put in a room together without one of them murdering another one, maybe the warnings were just a teenager that hated her new sibling, a jilted boyfriend.

Then Dad and Step mom should have gone alone.
The sleeping arrangements were inappropriate and were at the least inviting trouble.

 

[303gmf]

And it's men's responsibility to keep their lust on leash. Alcohol is not an excuse here.

I ABSOLUTELY didn’t make it an excuse in any way, shape or form
ADDING to the boys violence NOT an excuse, please

 

[soap mama]

The ex- boyfriend said he was supposed to go on cruise, too, but then he and Anna broke up. Wonder where boyfriend was going to be sleeping? Just my musings.

Ideally all the boys in one room and girls with the adults, but these two adults don't seem to have parenting discretion.

 

[muddlehead]

Late to this story
OMG
So much irresponsibility and poor decision making from the dad and step mom
Speechless

 

[soap mama]

Hate that kind of narrative. Teenage boys can control temptations. Men can control temptations. Male humans, at least these without severe brain damage are not slaves of their sexual urges. When they commit a sexual assault it's their CHOICE to do so. It's basically "boys will be boys" all over again.

I think this was more about rage and violence than an "urge" I'd bet my non-existent farm this kid was a handful and a half, and the mother and Anna's father were just checked out, not knowing how to deal with him, with fingers crossed that he would grow out of it or eventually move out and wouldn't be their problem anymore.

 

[Silverstorm]

Anna Kepner: 16-Year-old Stepbrother Was Obsessed with Cheerleader Killed on Cruise Ship

Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother, who’s considered a suspect in her death, reportedly had a strange obsession with her. As CrimeOnline previously reported, a room steward reportedly discovered Anna’s body at around 11 a.m. while cleaning a cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon. The ship then...

www.crimeonline.com

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Do you know how easy it is to walk up to a bar (over 21), order a drink, bring it back to stateroom to the underage drinker? Very.

Does Carnival offer buckets of beer? They are available at some bars on Princess ships and can easily be carried back to one's stateroom.

 

[Trebor5591]

me too. i believe it's been reported that her body was nude. and concealing SA is a common motive with murders of young women.

There has been nothing in the media that she was found nude, to my recollection. Do you have a link? My feeling is that were that true, it would be in every headline. JMO