An 18-year-old Florida teen was found dead in her stateroom aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November.
The FBI is investigating the death but has not released any information or made any arrests.
Court records from a custody dispute indicate the teen’s 16-year-old stepbrother is being investigated in connection with her death.
Two months after a Florida teen’s body was found aboard a cruise ship during a family vacation, no arrests have been made and relatively no information has been released.
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old cheerleader from Titusville, was found dead on Nov. 7 in a stateroom she shared with her 16-year-old stepbrother and a younger stepsibling on the Carnival Horizon. The ship returned to Port Miami on Nov. 8 when Kepner’s body was taken to the Miami medical examiner’s office.
Several news outlets, including ABC News and People.com, reported the medical examiner determined Anna Kepner died as a result of mechanical asphyxiation. However, the medical examiner’s office told USA Today Network on Jan. 6 that its office has not released any information and referred questions to the FBI.
The case has garnered international attention with outlets from all over the world covering the story as people wonder and speculate how the teen died.
A spokesman for the FBI confirmed to USA Today Network that the case was being investigated but said no comment could be given at this time and the agency has not released any information thus far.
Court records connected to a family custody dispute include detailed discussions of Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother’s possible involvement with his stepsister’s death. The boy’s stepmother is engaged in a custody dispute with the boy’s father, whom she divorced in 2023. In a court filing she said she had been warned her 16-year-old son was being investigated for possibly being involved in the death and charges could be pending.
Documents also show the boy was taken to a facility following the cruise where he stayed for an undetermined amount of time and then went to live with a relative in another part of Florida where his mother said in a court hearing he was undergoing therapy.
Why have no charges been filed in Anna Kepner’s death?
Scott Robinson, a Brevard-based criminal defense lawyer, said there are a number of reasons charges have not been filed two months after the teen’s death.
“I know people want to rush to make an arrest, but it’s better for law enforcement to take their time, dot their i’s and cross their t’s to do things the right way, get justice and fully prosecute the right person,” said Robinson, who is not connected to the case.
He added that if a minor is involved, there are certain precautions that need to be taken. The fact the death occurred on a cruise ship also adds a complexity.
“There are thousands of people on the cruise ship and authorities need to talk to employees, look at videos, talk to various passengers, see what they remember,” Robinson said. “They could be processing prints, processing DNA, we really don’t know. There are a lot of moving pieces involved.”
Who was Anna Kepner?
Kepner, an “A” student at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, was described by family and friends as
Why no arrest 2 months after Florida teen died on cruise ship
