‘She Lit Up Every Room’: Titusville Teen’s Mysterious Death Aboard Cruise Ship Prompts FBI Investigation

Anna Kepner, 18, was a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville

Anna Kepner, 18, was set to graduate from high school in May and then join the military.

MIAMI, FLORIDA – When the Carnival Horizon returned to Port Miami early Saturday morning, the ship’s return was marked by quiet urgency, as Federal agents were waiting on the dock.

Somewhere aboard that massive 135-ton Vista-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line, 18-year-old Anna Kepner of Titusville had lost her life.

Just a week earlier, Anna had been an ordinary high school senior with extraordinary plans. A straight-A student at Temple Christian School, she had been preparing to graduate and enlist in the U.S. military. Friends called her “Anna Banana” — a nickname that stuck because it fit her sunny, magnetic personality.

“She had that type of energy that just drew you in,” her family told ABC News. “Her smile, her laugh — she just made everything feel lighter. She was the best child you could ever meet.”

Now, those closest to her are left with questions and heartbreak — waiting for answers from the FBI, which has opened a federal investigation into the young woman’s death.

The Carnival Horizon, a Panamanian-registered ship carrying nearly 4,000 passengers, was nearing the end of its six-night Western Caribbean voyage. The itinerary had included stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel — typical destinations for a week of sun and sea.

But something went wrong before the vessel could return to port. When the ship reached Port Miami on November 8, investigators were called aboard. Anna’s body was found under circumstances authorities have yet to disclose.

“The FBI has responded to the scene,” said spokesperson James Marshall. “Because this is an ongoing matter, no further information is available at this time.”

The teen’s remains were turned over to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy is expected to determine how she died.

Back home in Titusville, word spread quickly through the tight-knit halls of Temple Christian.

“Anna, I will deeply miss you,” wrote youth pastor Rich Brunner in a Facebook post. “You were a bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom.”

Teachers described her as a leader — disciplined, dependable, and already talking about boot camp and college credits. To her classmates, she was simply the one who always noticed when someone looked down and cracked a joke to make them smile.

“She was the kind of person who made you feel seen,” said one friend. “Even if you’d just met her.”

Deaths aboard cruise ships are not unheard of, but the FBI’s involvement signals the case is being taken seriously. Under federal law, the agency has jurisdiction over suspicious or unexplained deaths involving U.S. citizens on foreign-flagged vessels that dock at American ports.

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed the tragedy in a brief statement:

“The death of a guest traveling on the Carnival Horizon voyage that returned to Port Miami on Saturday morning, November 8, is being investigated by the FBI. Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest.”

No details have been released about what led to Anna’s death — whether it was medical, accidental, or something darker. Investigators are reviewing shipboard security footage, passenger statements, and medical logs to piece together what happened in those final hours before the ship reached Miami.

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