The family of 18-year-old Anna Kepner is sharing painful new details about the moments surrounding her death aboard a Carnival cruise, as authorities have identified her 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect. Anna’s body was discovered earlier this month by cleaning staff inside her cabin, hidden under a bed and covered with blankets and life vests.
Anna had been vacationing with eight family members, including two other teenagers who shared her room. One was her stepbrother, who is now under investigation. “We were all having a great time,” Anna’s grandmother, Barbara Kepner, told ABC News. “I couldn’t fathom why anyone would wanna hurt my baby.”
The grandparents recalled that on the last night they saw Anna, she complained that her braces were bothering her at dinner, but still wanted to enjoy the evening. Barbara said Anna returned to her room briefly because she didn’t “feel well,” but later came back to join the family in the casino. Anna told her grandparents she loved them before leaving again. “She’d pop in and out to check in with us. And we never saw her again after that,” Barbara said.
The next morning, Anna’s grandfather, Jeffrey, was buying bingo cards when he heard a medical alert and recognized the cabin number. “I went blank,” he said. When he reached the room, the sight was devastating. “I still wake up seeing that,” he said.
According to the Kepners, Anna had bruises on the side of her neck, and when Anna’s father entered the cabin, he immediately understood she was gone. Barbara said, “The last I can remember for probably hours that morning is that I just screamed. I couldn’t stop screaming.”
The family says the FBI told them Anna died from asphyxiation, possibly caused by a bar hold. Her death certificate lists “mechanical asphyxia” and states she “was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).” Investigators found two bruises on her neck. A source told ABC that early findings showed no signs of sexual assault and no drugs or alcohol in her system, though full autopsy results are still pending.
Despite being a blended family, the Kepners said the children never viewed each other as steps. “It’s all family,” Jeffrey said. Barbara described Anna and her stepbrother as “two peas in a pod” and said she never saw any sign that Anna felt unsafe.
Barbara said her grandson told the family he does not remember what happened. “In his own words, he says he does not remember what happened,” she recalled. “I believe, to him, that is his truth.” However, the grandparents say authorities told them he was the only person seen entering and leaving the cabin, based on security footage.
Anna, described as independent and “mighty,” had been preparing to graduate in May and hoped to join the Navy. “We were looking forward to seeing her grow,” Jeffrey said. “It was the fact that I was gonna get to spend another week with my youngest son and his family and all the grandkids.”
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