The sudden passing of an 18-year-old cheerleader from a Florida high school on a Carnival Cruise ship has left her loved ones and community in a state of disbelief. Anna Kepner was discovered lifeless in her cabin on the Carnival Horizon on November 7 while on a six-day Caribbean cruise with her family. The details surrounding her death are still vague, with minimal information made available to the public or her family.
According to two unidentified sources, Kepner was found by a housekeeper, hidden under a bed, swathed in a blanket, and covered with life jackets. Kepner had reportedly informed her family that she was not feeling well the night before her death and had gone to her room. When she failed to appear for breakfast the next morning, her family began a frantic search.
The Carnival Horizon, a colossal ship with a capacity to hold nearly 4,000 passengers, was meticulously searched by her family. However, it was a housekeeper who discovered Kepner’s body when she entered the cabin to clean it around 11 a.m. After the grim discovery, the ship changed its course to the Port of Miami, Florida. The Miami Dade County medical examiner noted Kepner’s time of death as 11:17 a.m. on November 7, but the cause of death has not been revealed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has assumed control of the case as Kepner’s death occurred in international waters. However, the agency has not disclosed any details about the cause of her death, leaving her family, including her father, Christopher Kepner, in a state of anguish and bewilderment.
Known fondly as “Anna Banana” by her family, Kepner was a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida. She was a skilled gymnast and cheerleader who had recently passed her military entrance exam, according to her family.