Horrifying Details About The 18-Year-Old Girl's Carnival Cruise Death Have Come To Light

Just a few weeks ago on November 7, 2025, the terribly heartbreaking story about Carnival cruise ship's latest passenger death, 18-year-old Anna Kepner, sent shockwaves through the media. Remembered fondly as an independent, smart, and fun-loving teenager, Anna was set to graduate high school in just a few months. A life full of potential that was cut tragically short is now thought to be a homicide by bar-hold asphyxiation (an arm held across the neck), and Anna's own 16-year-old stepbrother is being considered as a potential suspect.

A November 24 ABC News report stated that the official death certificate had determined the cause of death as "mechanical asphyxia," with the date of death listed as November 6, though an exact time has not been determined. In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Kepner's grandmother Barbara said that a crewmember found Anna's lifeless body "concealed under the bed," wrapped in a blanket, and then covered with life vests. Anna was also found with bruises on her neck. 

An official cause of death has not yet been released by the Miami-Dade medical examiner, and the FBI is still remaining tight-lipped regarding the investigation, except for speaking to the family, who told ABC News. No arrests or charges have been made as of yet. With the tragedy facing the Kepner family, will this scenario have future cruise travelers asking themselves how safe are you on a cruise, and what should we know about ship security?

Nobody can ever be prepared for when a passenger dies on a cruise, especially when it is a member of their own family, and at such a young age with so much potential. Barbara Kepner, who was on the cruise with Anna's grandfather, father, stepmother, siblings, and stepsiblings, recalls the trip before the tragic loss. "We were all having a great time," she told ABC News. "I couldn't fathom why anyone would wanna hurt my baby." Anna's grandfather, Jeffrey, recalled the moment he recognized Anna's room number being called on the cruise ship's medical alert the next morning and how it still haunts him to this day.

According to Barbara, the cruise ship's security footage determined that the stepbrother was the only person seen coming in and going out of the stateroom, which they shared with another sibling, on the night of Anna's passing. The family said the stepbrother and family were questioned by investigators, and after the cruise returned to Miami, the stepbrother was hospitalized for psychiatric observation before being released to a family member. Anna's grandparents were told that no signs of sexual assault, nor drugs or alcohol, were found in Anna's system, although the official toxicology results are still pending. However, Anna's ex-boyfriend told Fox News that Anna felt "uncomfortable" around her stepbrother and suspects he was involved.

Barbara mentions that while she now knows the cause of death, nothing will bring Anna back. In a series of horrific events that have been unfolding in the last weeks, ranging from tragic to confusing, the Kepner family is still searching for why this happened, "And that's the answer that I don't know if we'll ever get." Jeffrey states. "We were looking forward to seeing her grow."