The mother of a teenage girl found deceased on a cruise ship has shared the distressing circumstances surrounding the discovery of her daughter’s tragic passing.
Fresh details have emerged in the case of Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old whose body was located on a Carnival Cruise vessel during a family vacation in November.
Anna, a resident of Titusville, Florida, was onboard 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 recorded Anna’s time of death as 11:17 am on November 7. However, specifics regarding the autopsy, cause of death, and manner of death have not been disclosed by authorities yet.
Her body was concealed under a bed, wrapped in a blanket, and shielded with life jackets before being discovered by a maid. Both the FBI and ship security personnel are interviewing additional passengers, crew members, and Kepner’s relatives.
Reports indicate that Anna had complained of feeling unwell on the evening of November 6 and returned to her cabin. The following day, her father, Christopher Kepner, 41, and other family members initiated a search onboard after she did not appear for breakfast.
In a recent interview, Anna’s mother, Heather Wright, disclosed that she learned about her daughter’s demise through an online search on Google. 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.
Upon receiving a text prompting her to check if her daughter was on a cruise, Wright embarked on a frantic quest to locate Anna. After unsuccessful attempts to contact her daughter or ex-husband, Wright resorted to searching online for information on an ’18-year-old who died on a cruise ship.’
“And that’s when my daughter’s face popped up all over Google,” she shared.
Authorities are presently examining CCTV footage from the ship and analyzing electronic key card data that may reveal who accessed the teenager’s cabin, according to a source cited by CBS.
Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed its full cooperation with the federal investigation.