The mother of a teenage girl discovered deceased on a cruise ship has shared the distressing manner in which she learned of her daughter’s tragic passing. Fresh information has emerged regarding Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old whose body was found aboard a Carnival Cruise ship during a family vacation in November.
Anna, hailing from Titusville, Florida, was on a six-day Carnival cruise with her family when she was pronounced dead in international waters between Mexico and Florida. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner has recorded Anna’s time of death as 11:17 am on November 7. However, official details regarding the autopsy, cause of death, or manner of death are yet to be disclosed by authorities.
The discovery of Anna’s body, wrapped in a blanket, covered with life jackets, and hidden under a bed, was made by a maid. Both the FBI and ship security personnel are conducting interviews with other passengers, crew members, and Kepner’s relatives.
According to reports, Anna began feeling unwell on the evening of November 6 and retired to her cabin. The following day, her father, Christopher Kepner, 41, and other family members initiated a search for her after she missed breakfast.
In a recent interview, Anna’s mother, Heather Wright, recounted how she learned of her daughter’s demise through an unexpected Google search. Wright also mentioned that her youngest son was informed at school by a friend that his sister had been murdered, as per her interview on NewsNation.
Subsequently, Wright received a message prompting her to investigate whether her daughter was on a cruise, leading her on a frantic quest for Anna. Failing to reach her daughter or ex-husband, Wright resorted to searching online for ’18-year-old died on cruise ship.’
“And that’s when my daughter’s face popped up all over Google,” she shared.
Authorities are currently scrutinizing CCTV footage from the ship and examining electronic key card data to identify who may have accessed the teenager’s cabin, as per a source cited by CBS.
Carnival Cruise Line has affirmed its complete cooperation with the federal inquiry.