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

[AuDHD]

My whole family has adhd and the 15yo and I take meds for it. He skips meds some days and the main diff I see is eating more & an increase in impulsivity. Not sure about impacts of skipping insomnia medication, but many meds cause some wacky symptoms when skipped.

At my kids/ the likely defendant’s age, it’s sort of a joint household responsibility to remember to take meds and his input is considered if he wants to skip a day. Still i’d say it’s my legal responsibility to make sure he takes his meds & of course skipping days has been OKed by his psychiatrist. it’s common with adhd meds to skip days, esp given all the shortages.

Not thinking through consequences before acting is an experience many young ADHDers will find familiar. Usually on a much smaller scale with less serious outcomes, to be sure. I wonder if we will come to find out the teens were drinking on the cruise?

all JMO

 

[Arkay]

Agree absolutely about the dereliction of parental duties but (and this is not directed at your post) unsure how the ADHD is meant to play into this murder beyond what seem to be preemptive claims of mitigation by his mother.

His attention to detail in ensuring that the deadbolt was in place prior to carrying out a fatal assault and making a poor -- but initially successful -- attempt to cover up does not seem to have impacted the commission of the crime. Additional activities (attorney, statements, hospitalization, and so on) seem to have carried out with damage limitation for the alleged POI in mind. It's something we generally see in high-profile cases with high-profile defendants, IMO. Odd.

A fair bit of what we've heard thus far from family (and ex, etc) seems to be intended to settle or get ahead of the story prior to a likely arrest and indictment. This case needs to be evaluated and prosecuted through the proper legal channels, and quickly, IMO. Not sure any of these side-cases are helpful beyond providing limited (and highly particular) info as to contested backstories.

/endrant

Yes, I can see your point in that TH was task-oriented in assuring the door was deadbolted.

My guess is that taking his meds was something that he may always have been reluctant about, or it was just not important to him, but this action was.

He didn’t do a great job of hiding his poor stepsister, but that may have simply been due to not many places to adequately hide her in the cabin.

The rest of the details are, it seems, those that have initiated by adults——either family members (so-called family) or through the legal and/or LE communities.

I would still maintain, as you also believe, that there was dereliction of duty on behalf of his mother or any other adults who had the duty of care to make sure he took his meds.

How very different the outcome may have been if TH had just fallen asleep, with the proper meds at the proper time and dosage.

JMO

 

[MistyWaters]

Interestingly, the DM has changed their reported versions of events. Was the ex-bf not a reliable source or did the 14 year old retract his claims of screaming after he learned the hallway had surveillance of everyone coming and going?

NANCY GRACE: Anna Kepner's death investigation was botched from start

Almost one month on from the death of the cheerleader on board a Carnival cruise ship, no charges have been filed and no arrests made.

www.dailymail.co.uk

FROM THIS >>>>
On the night of November 6 - hours before Kepner's body was found - her 14-year-old brother heard screaming and what sounded like chairs being thrown inside the cabin that he shared with Kepner and the 16-year-old, the Daily Mail previously reported.…..

>>>>>TO THIS (gone is any mention of the 14 year old getting locked out of the room)
“….She was last seen at dinner with her family on November 6. After complaining about feeling unwell, she headed back to her room, the Daily Mail previously revealed.

Later, her half-brother and stepbrother went back to the shared room - the 14-year-old then left to take photos of the ship. By the time he returned, his sister appeared to be gone.

The 14-year-old went to sleep, unaware that his sister's body was lying hidden beneath a neighboring bed…”