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

[Stratocaster]

Least dandelion be useful prehaps a field full of deadly nightshade although on second thoughts

Hogweed

 

[su5ie]

Well that's weird though, because I remembered seeing posts she had made after returning home from the first cruise, where she posted pics from that cruise and commented how she wished she were back on the cruise. I guess no matter how fabulous a time you might have, by the last day, you're ready to go home!

Her grandparents were present on that trip so prehaps she camped in with them

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I couldn't get back to sleep after getting up to pee in the wee hours last night. I laid awake thinking about what that final day at sea must have been like aboard the Carnival ship. Who in the family was notified first that Anna was deceased when found by housekeeping? Did the parents tell the other children what had happened? What were the sleeping arrangements on the final night when the cabin where Anna was found dead was likely cordoned off with crime tape. News of the tragic incident would have spread like wildfire around the ship with many guests openly talking about it. Rumors would have been rampant, no doubt. Crew, staff, and officers probably found it very disturbing, as well. I don't do social media, but I'm sure there must be dozens of discussions from passengers on that fateful voyage.

 

[Silverstorm]

I couldn't get back to sleep after getting up to pee in the wee hours last night. I laid awake thinking about what that final day at sea must have been like aboard the Carnival ship. Who in the family was notified first that Anna was deceased when found by housekeeping? Did the parents tell the other children what had happened? What were the sleeping arrangements on the final night when the cabin where Anna was found dead was likely cordoned off with crime tape. News of the tragic incident would have spread like wildfire around the ship with many guests openly talking about it. Rumors would have been rampant, no doubt. Crew, staff, and officers probably found it very disturbing, as well. I don't do social media, but I'm sure there must be dozens of discussions from passengers on that fateful voyage.

absolutely there was buzzing all over the ship, Im sure. I was on a ship when a woman unexpectedly passed away. My husband and I were waiting in the buffet line in the dining area when there was a commotion happening. He went to check it out and came back and said something happened to a woman on deck 8 and crew were rushing to help. After we got home my next door neighbor told me her coworker was on the same cruise we were on and passed away suddenly from a heart attack. The family were still trying to get her body back to the states. That's how I learned there were morgues on a ship. In case tragedy happens.

 

[Gemmie]

I agree - when you hear a sound and dont know the source your brain supplies a suggestion for what it could be, such as furniture being "thrown around" if youre hearing bangs and thumps but it could simply be people grappling and bumping into walls.

What you say about your brain supplying a suggestion for what could be is TRUE and backed by science. PBS Nova did a program on that. Note, this is talking about your perceptions of what you see. It's the same for your hearing. They did all sorts of tests to prove this.

Your Brain: Perception Deception​

Episode aired May 17, 2023

Is what you see real? Join neuroscientist Heather Berlin's quest to understand how your brain shapes your reality, and why you can't always trust what you perceive. Learn surprising tricks and shortcuts the brain takes to help us survive.
===========================================================================================
HEARING notes from the transcribed program:

It seems as though the world just pours itself into the mind through the transparent windows of the eyes and the ears and, and all our other senses. But is what we see, hear, and feel real? You might think that the reality outside is actually what you're perceiving. And the answer is no, it really isn't. Almost at the very first moment, we are transforming reality. It feels so real because we don't know better.

For most of us, we literally hear what we want to hear.

Full transcription here along with the video at the top: "Your Brain: Perception Deception | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS" - Full Transcript Inside! | YTScribe

 

[MistyWaters]

Perhaps it wasn't the furniture being throw around but two people moving forcefully in very small quarters, the sounds of bodies against furniture and walls. We know the outcome so we can imagine her fighting against her attacker.

No one on the outside could have imagined they were listening to a murder...

Awful.

JMO

True he couldn’t have known what was making the sounds. Whether screaming was heard or not, that might be just rumour. If it was…normally that would arouse suspicion.

I’m curious about the timeline. What time did Anna go to the room, then how long after before the stepbrother followed, then the 14 year old brother? Did the stepbrother ask the 14 year old to stay away? Where was his keycard? Upon realizing he was locked out, did he bang on the door? Every passenger aboard a cruise ship gets a keycard with their name on it, regardless of how many are sharing a room. If he’d used his keycard to enter the room at the wrong time, he’s lucky to be alive. Otherwise I wonder why he wasn’t annoyed that he was locked out of his room and what he did about it. How did he eventually get in? Cabin doors are always locked from the outside as long as the door is closed for security, so the stepbrother couldn’t later have unlocked the door from the inside.

It just seems to have been a tragic sequence of events that took place creating the perfect storm while absolutely everyone was oblivious to the potential danger within their midst, while one tiny change of events might’ve saved Anna’s life.
JMO

 

[floridafreshsqueez]

Question if anyone has an idea…could the suspect be charged as an adult or would he be subject to FL law since that’s where the family resides? Interested in how minors are charged for crimes that occur on a cruise ship.

 

[Arkay]

Perhaps it wasn't the furniture being throw around but two people moving forcefully in very small quarters, the sounds of bodies against furniture and walls. We know the outcome so we can imagine her fighting against her attacker.

No one on the outside could have imagined they were listening to a murder...

Awful.

JMO

I agree - when you hear a sound and dont know the source your brain supplies a suggestion for what it could be, such as furniture being "thrown around" if youre hearing bangs and thumps but it could simply be people grappling and bumping into walls.

What you say about your brain supplying a suggestion for what could be is TRUE and backed by science. PBS Nova did a program on that. Note, this is talking about your perceptions of what you see. It's the same for your hearing. They did all sorts of tests to prove this.

I agree with all this.

I cannot imagine how actual furniture could be thrown around on a stateroom.

Ships rock and roll, even the biggest at times, and everything is bolted down.

I’ve lived all my life in high-rises in NYC. The neighbors who lived above me for decades always, night and day, sounded like they were throwing bowling balls around. I know they didn’t have a bowling alley above me, but sound waves have a life of their own and the mind fills in the blanks.

I think, unfortunately, this was Anna thrashing around trying to keep TH off her, or some kind of defense she was putting up and he was determined to end her.

JMO

 

[Spectrix]

Did the stepbrother ask the 14 year old to stay away? Where was his keycard? Upon realizing he was locked out, did he bang on the door? Every passenger aboard a cruise ship gets a keycard with their name on it, regardless of how many are sharing a room. If he’d used his keycard to enter the room at the wrong time, he’s lucky to be alive. Otherwise I wonder why he wasn’t annoyed that he was locked out of his room and what he did about it.

I had the same question initially, but then I read one report that was worded differently, he wasn't locked out as such, he thought that the step brother must have been holding the door shut.
It makes me wonder if he had barricaded it somehow.

 

[mickey2942]

Question if anyone has an idea…could the suspect be charged as an adult or would he be subject to FL law since that’s where the family resides? Interested in how minors are charged for crimes that occur on a cruise ship.

There is another case here, about a 13 year old boy who killed his mother in Florida, he is being charged as an adult.

Son, 13, Accused of Stabbing His Sleeping Mom 46 Times Texted Friend Photo of Corpse, Bloody Selfie: Court Doc

Derek Rosa, 13, is accused of fatally stabbing his mother just two weeks after she gave birth and on the eve of Friday, Oct. 13, as a nod to Jason Voorhees.

people.com

We had a case of a Grandfather on a cruise ship that was docked in Puerto Rico. He killed his granddaughter. He was charged under Puerto Rico laws.

Video shows grandfather of Chloe Wiegand knew cruise ship window was open, reports say

Royal Caribbean Cruises says the grandfather who dropped his granddaughter from a window on board the Freedom of the Seas knew that the window was open.

www.boston25news.com

 

[mickey2942]

Anna Kepner’s mom found out about daughter’s cruise death on Google, blames ex for fraught relationship

“My ex-husband did not try to contact me at all whatsoever to let me know that my daughter died.”

nypost.com

No matter how "estranged' you are, it seems to me that you would at least make sure the mother knew of her daughter's death, before having to "google" search for the information.

Not liking Anna Kepner's father for many reasons. This is one of them.

 

[soap mama]

JMO

I still believe it was an attempted SA that AK fought back from, and tragically she was overpowered.

RIP she seems like rose in a field of dandelions

I choose briars over pretty yellow dandelions!

 

[Lebowski]

Anna Kepner’s mom found out about daughter’s cruise death on Google, blames ex for fraught relationship

“My ex-husband did not try to contact me at all whatsoever to let me know that my daughter died.”

nypost.com

No matter how "estranged' you are, it seems to me that you would at least make sure the mother knew of her daughter's death, before having to "google" search for the information.

Not liking Anna Kepner's father for many reasons. This is one of them.

yeah, i wasn't sure how much we can say, but i have opinions about him and they are piling up.

 

[Spectrix]

Question if anyone has an idea…could the suspect be charged as an adult or would he be subject to FL law since that’s where the family resides? Interested in how minors are charged for crimes that occur on a cruise ship.

In this case, the crime appears to have taken place while the ship was in international waters.
The laws covering minors involved in violent crimes in international waters are... murky at best, excuse the pun.
And while it would be most interesting to see how the matter plays out in the courts, we may find that a good deal of the proceedings are sealed (as they often are for crimes involving minors).

 

[soap mama]

I've wondered what that morning she was found was like.
Who got to breakfast first? What time? When did they all realize she was missing ( ran out of "oh she's with so and so")
What was the time gap between looking for her and hearing the "medical call"
I am assuming the medical call listed the room number bc dad ran to the room.

On a side note, what happens to a room like that when the cruise sets sail again? I wouldn't mind being in a room that had an atrial death, but wouldn't want to be in a room that was the scene of a murder!

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I imagine that, if if comes to it, the stepbrother's defence might be that Anna started the fight, and he was only acting in self-defence. Well, his mother might believe it.

A person acting in self defense would run away as soon as they could, not act like nothing had happened. So even if he tried to claim self defense, no one will believe it, unless they are desperate to be in denial.

No matter how "estranged' you are, it seems to me that you would at least make sure the mother knew of her daughter's death, before having to "google" search for the information.

Agree. I feel for her (biological) mother on this. Unless her father asked law enforcement to notify her mother ASAP and LE failed to do so, it's inexcusable.

 

[Eli9]

I couldn't get back to sleep after getting up to pee in the wee hours last night. I laid awake thinking about what that final day at sea must have been like aboard the Carnival ship. Who in the family was notified first that Anna was deceased when found by housekeeping? Did the parents tell the other children what had happened? What were the sleeping arrangements on the final night when the cabin where Anna was found dead was likely cordoned off with crime tape. News of the tragic incident would have spread like wildfire around the ship with many guests openly talking about it. Rumors would have been rampant, no doubt. Crew, staff, and officers probably found it very disturbing, as well. I don't do social media, but I'm sure there must be dozens of discussions from passengers on that fateful voyage.

The thing that I am stuck on and have a hard time getting past is her father's statements. He knew on that cruise that Anna was found dead. Not somewhere else on the cruise ship but in her room. The room she shared with her step brother and her brother. But yet he says he had "no idea" what happened.

And then we are told the step brother was "hospitalized “immediately after the incident” for an undisclosed reason". But the father says “Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don’t know who they are looking at or what their investigation is,” "“The FBI hasn’t shared anything with me yet. I would imagine they’re going to be in contact with me about it – but I know as little as everybody else,”. He knew his step son was hospitalized and that Anna was dead but couldn't put those two circumstances together.

Source for quotes

Father of cheerleader found dead on a Carnival cruise has ‘no idea’ how she died: ‘The FBI hasn’t shared anything’

Anna Kepner was declared dead in international waters on Friday morning while on a six-day Caribbean cruise with her family on the Carnival Horizon.

nypost.com

Court hearing: Stepbrother ‘suspect’ hospitalized after Anna Kepner’s death on cruise ship

Amid an FBI probe into the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship, the teen’s stepmother appeared at a court hearing Thursday involving custody of two children from her previous marriage. One of those children, a 16-year-old boy, has been described by his parents as a...

www.clickorlando.com

 

[Kakidoll]

I have friends that were on that cruise and the one following it (back to back) and there was NOT a lot of talk. It was kept very quiet as it wasn't a clear case of anything immediately. They had FBI on and boarding was about and hour or 2 later than normal, and even crew was very quiet about it. I was on a cruise where a child drowned and it was definitely traumatic and lots of discussion, changes. This was handled different from the very start so I think it was 'controlled' immediately. ANd there were so many rumors on social media that were not true, thats why it took off the way it did. Otherwise it think it would have stayed much quieter. It wasn't in public and the only ones who 'knew' were family...until a few secrets slipped out.

 

[Spectrix]

The thing that I am stuck on and have a hard time getting past is her father's statements. He knew on that cruise that Anna was found dead. Not somewhere else on the cruise ship but in her room. The room she shared with her step brother and her brother. But yet he says he had "no idea" what happened.

Yes, particularly when they had a full day aboard the boat prior to disembarking, plenty of time to hear Anna's brother's account of the struggle he overheard in their room, and plenty of time to put two and two together.

 

[Chypre]

The thing that I am stuck on and have a hard time getting past is her father's statements. He knew on that cruise that Anna was found dead. Not somewhere else on the cruise ship but in her room. The room she shared with her step brother and her brother. But yet he says he had "no idea" what happened.

And then we are told the step brother was "hospitalized “immediately after the incident” for an undisclosed reason". But the father says “Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don’t know who they are looking at or what their investigation is,” "“The FBI hasn’t shared anything with me yet. I would imagine they’re going to be in contact with me about it – but I know as little as everybody else,”. He knew his step son was hospitalized and that Anna was dead but couldn't put those two circumstances together.

Source for quotes

Father of cheerleader found dead on a Carnival cruise has ‘no idea’ how she died: ‘The FBI hasn’t shared anything’

Anna Kepner was declared dead in international waters on Friday morning while on a six-day Caribbean cruise with her family on the Carnival Horizon.

nypost.com

Court hearing: Stepbrother ‘suspect’ hospitalized after Anna Kepner’s death on cruise ship

Amid an FBI probe into the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship, the teen’s stepmother appeared at a court hearing Thursday involving custody of two children from her previous marriage. One of those children, a 16-year-old boy, has been described by his parents as a...

www.clickorlando.com

Maybe he first assumed they were both involved with an accident or third person.