TITUSVILLE, Fla. — The sudden death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, a promising high school senior and varsity cheerleader, has left her family and community searching for answers. Kepner tragically passed away while on a family vacation aboard a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month, yet the circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear over two weeks later.
Her body was brought back to Miami when the Carnival Horizon returned to port two weeks ago this past Saturday.
Since the incident, the FBI has questioned her stepbrother, yet no charges have been filed, and authorities have not disclosed an official cause of death. The details of her final hours are still shrouded in mystery.
Below is a timeline of the events:
The family has confirmed that Anna Kepner was the passenger who died on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. (Image via Instagram/Anna Kepner)
Oct. 26-30
Anna’s final TikTok posts hinted at heartbreak and resilience.
“Even after every breakup, being disrespected, being lied to, being cheated on, being used, getting manipulated, getting played, I will always have a smile on my face and a kind heart,” she wrote, explaining that she would continue to wear a smile on her face despite the heartache.
Anna Kepner wrote that she would endure after a rough breakup in a video posted just days before she died under unknown circumstances. (@fl.anna18/TikTok)
“I don’t know why I’ve been through what I’ve been through, but I can promise you, I never deserved it,” the post continued. “Am I mad at those people for what they did to me? No. Am I upset? Yes.”
Her final post, on Oct. 30, was much shorter.
“You deserve to be happy, but if it ain’t with me then nvm,” it read.
Her teen ex-boyfriend later told reporters that he was supposed to have been on the fatal cruise with her, but they broke up beforehand.
WATCH: Anna Kepner’s ex-boyfriend breaks silence on her cruise ship death
Nov. 2
The family, including Anna, her father, her stepmother, and other siblings, including a 16-year-old stepbrother, boarded the cruise ship Carnival Horizon in Miami for a six-night Caribbean voyage.
Night of Nov. 6
Anna felt unwell and left dinner early, returning to her cabin, the Daily Mail reported previously.
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship on Nov. 7, during a vacation with her family. (Anna Kepner/Instagram)
Nov. 7
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Anna’s time of death at 11:17 a.m. on Nov. 7.
She was discovered dead in her room by a Carnival housekeeping worker, her aunt, Krystal Wright, told Fox News Digital. She was under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets.
Nov. 8
The Carnival Horizon returned to the Port of Miami, also known as PortMiami, and the FBI arrived to investigate Anna’s death.
Her remains were transferred to the morgue. Investigators questioned her family and others aboard the ship. But no arrests were made.
Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and several siblings in a family photo. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)
Nov. 17
Court filings surfaced in a custody dispute involving Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Kepner, and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.
Both sides described the 16-year-old stepbrother as a potential “suspect” in Anna’s death.
Shauntel’s lawyer asked the court to postpone an upcoming hearing, arguing that if she were forced to testify, it could incriminate her or her son.
Christopher Kepner (center, red hat) arrives at a memorial service for his daughter, Anna Kepner at the Grove Church in Titusville, Florida, Thursday, November 20, 2025. The 18-year-old cheerleader was reportedly found dead under a bed on a Carnival Cruise on November 7. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Nov. 20
Anna was laid to rest following a memorial service.
Hundreds of mourners gathered Thursday at The Grove Church in Titusville, Florida, to celebrate the life of Kepner.
Guests were greeted by her graduation photos and invited to leave a fingerprint on a poster bearing her picture.
Chris Donohue arrives at a memorial service for his stepgranddaughter, Anna Kepner, at the Grove Church in Titusville, Florida, Thursday, November 20, 2025. The 18-year-old cheerleader was reportedly found dead under a bed on a Carnival Cruise on November 7. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Inside the church’s auditorium, a slideshow traced her life through images of karate lessons, Disney trips, lake days, beach outings, cheerleading fundraisers and carefree flips at a bounce house.
According to an online obituary, she loved being on the water and got her boating license before she could drive a car. She had wanted to join the U.S. Navy after high school and eventually become a K-9 police officer.
Nov. 21
A preliminary investigation found evidence Anna had been asphyxiated in a chokehold, ABC News reported Friday.
Fox News Digital has not independently verified the report. An official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, according to the medical examiner’s office. But a source with knowledge of the case said toxicology and other lab testing had not yet been completed but said bruises had been found on the body.
