Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old Florida resident, was found deceased aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 7, with the official time of death recorded as 11:17 a.m. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, which declined to comment due to the ongoing investigation, has yet to disclose the cause or manner of death. The public document obtained by Fox News does not include these details, as they are reserved for the victim’s immediate family under Florida law. The FBI is conducting the investigation into the incident, which the family described as a homicide resulting from mechanical asphyxiation. The death certificate indicates that her body was found under her bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets, shared with her stepbrother in the cabin.
Kepner’s family confirmed the cause of death in an interview with ABC News, stating that it was ruled a homicide due to mechanical asphyxiation. This means that an external factor hindered her breathing, preventing her chest or belly from expanding. The FBI has not yet identified anyone as a suspect, and no criminal charges have been publicly announced. However, court documents from a custody battle between the stepbrother’s parents, who are now in a bitter dispute, indicate that the 16-year-old is under investigation. The FBI’s Miami office is handling the case, which has remained largely silent since the investigation was announced two weeks ago. The details of the case continue to raise questions about the circumstances surrounding Kepner’s death, as well as the potential involvement of her stepbrother in the events leading to her demise.