Additional Coverage:
Investigation Continues into Florida Teen’s Cruise Ship Death; Cremation Confirmed
MIAMI, FL – The body of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old Florida resident who tragically died aboard a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month, has been cremated. This information comes from a copy of her death certificate obtained by local news outlets.
While the public document confirms Kepner’s cremation, it does not disclose the cause or manner of her death. Under Florida law, this sensitive information is exclusively provided to the immediate family on their version of the death certificate. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
The FBI’s Miami office is actively handling the investigation into Kepner’s death. Her family stated in a recent interview that her death has been ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation.
Dr. Priya Banerjee, a board-certified forensic pathologist, previously explained that “mechanical asphyxia just means there is something external to the body that hinders her breathing – her chest or belly can’t expand.”
The FBI has remained tight-lipped since announcing its investigation two weeks ago and has not yet responded to requests for further comment.
Kepner’s official time of death is listed as 11:17 a.m. on November 7, the day before the Carnival Horizon cruise liner docked back in Miami.
Family members have reported that Kepner was discovered under her bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets, in a cabin she shared with her stepbrother.
As of now, no criminal charges have been publicly announced in connection with the case, and the FBI has not identified any suspects. However, court documents from an ongoing custody dispute between the stepbrother’s parents indicate that the 16-year-old is reportedly a subject of the FBI’s investigation.