Death Certificate Shows Anna Kepner Was Cremated as FBI Probe Continues

Cruise Ship Death Mystery Deepens: Teen Cheerleader Cremated, Cause Withheld

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — New public records are shedding more light on the death of Anna Kepner, 18, of Titusville, whose mysterious passing aboard a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month remains the subject of an active federal investigation.

Kepner was traveling with family at the time of her death.

A copy of Kepner’s death certificate confirms that she has been cremated. The public version of the document does not list her cause or manner of death — details that are only disclosed to immediate family members under Florida law.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The FBI’s Miami field office, which announced it had opened a case shortly after the incident, has provided few updates. However, her death was ruled a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation.

“Forensic pathologists use the term ‘mechanical asphyxia’ to describe any external force that prevents the chest or abdomen from expanding enough to breathe,” Dr. Priya Banerjee, a board-certified forensic pathologist, said.

Kepner was discovered on Nov. 7 — the day before the Carnival Horizon returned to PortMiami — in the cabin she shared with her 16-year-old stepbrother. Family members say she was found under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets.

No arrests or public identification of any suspect have been made.

Much of what has emerged publicly comes not from federal authorities but from an unrelated family court case involving Kepner’s stepmother, Hudson, and her ex-husband — the father of the 16-year-old stepbrother.

As part of that dispute, Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, was recently subpoenaed to testify. Court filings state that the stepbrother appears to be a subject of the FBI’s investigation, though the agency has not confirmed that.

Last week, Hudson petitioned the court for a gag order, arguing that continued public reporting and legal filings could cause “irreversible harm” to the children involved and potentially jeopardize both the investigation and any forthcoming legal proceedings.

The FBI, which has now been investigating the case for more than two weeks, has not released additional information beyond its initial confirmation of an active probe.

Carnival Cruise Line has also not provided new statements regarding the death aboard the Horizon, citing deference to federal investigators.

As of Tuesday, no criminal charges have been filed, and the circumstances surrounding how she ended up under the bed — and what led to the fatal asphyxiation described by her family — remain unclear.

Authorities have not announced when further findings will be released.

Similar Stories