Executive Summary
- Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high school senior from Titusville, Florida, died aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship.
- The FBI is the lead agency investigating the circumstances of her death, the cause of which remains undetermined.
- Kepner was remembered as a positive influence and an A-student with plans to join the military.
- The family has requested privacy and an end to online speculation as they navigate their loss.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading an inquiry into the death of an 18-year-old high school senior from Titusville, Florida, who died aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship during a trip to the Caribbean. The ship returned to its home port in Miami on November 8, where the body of Anna Kepner was transferred to the Miami-Dade County medical examiner’s office. The cause of death has not been released.
Kepner was a senior and an A-student at Temple Christian School in Titusville, with plans to join the military after her scheduled graduation. Friends and family remembered her as a positive influence, an avid gymnast, and a cheerleader. School officials described her as an integral part of their community, whose absence will be deeply felt.
Tributes were paid at the school, where students and administrators decorated her car with flowers and balloons and held a balloon release in her memory. In a statement, her family described her as having an energy that “just drew you in with her smile” and called her “the best child you could ever meet.”
The case has drawn significant online attention, prompting Kepner’s family to issue a public plea for an end to unverified speculation surrounding her death. “We are trying to grieve the loss of our child and it’s been incredibly difficult to navigate this heartbreak,” the family stated in a message circulated on social media. “We truly appreciate everyone’s love and concern but right now we need privacy and space to grieve.”
The FBI has remained quiet about the ongoing investigation. The Carnival Horizon, a Panamanian-registered vessel, carries approximately 4,000 passengers and 1,400 crew members on excursions from Port Miami. Details regarding who Kepner was traveling with have not been disclosed by authorities.