Anna Kepner's biological mother remembered her daughter as being "always happy" in her first media interview.
Kepner, 18, died on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Nov. 7. The ship had left Miami for the Caribbean but returned to port on Nov. 8. Although the FBI began investigating, little information has been released by authorities regarding her death.
Her mother, Heather Kepner, currently lives in Oklahoma and had not seen the teenager regularly in recent years, according to Fox 13. She told the station that her daughter had a gift for lifting people up and loved horseback riding and cheerleading.
"She was a really good child. She never really complained about much. She never really cried that much as a baby, and as a teenager, she was the same. Just always happy," Heather Kepner told FOX 13 News.
Anna Kepner attended Titusville High School, where she was a proud member of the Varsity Cheer Team, and later Astronaut High School before finding her home at Temple Christian School, her obituary states. She was set to graduate in 2026 and intended to pursue a career in the military.
The Daily Mail reported that CCTV footage on the ship showed Kepner returning alone to the cabin she shared with her 14-year-old brother and her 16-year-old stepbrother on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Although the two boys returned later, her 14-year-old brother left the room to take photos of the $800 million cruise ship to post on social media, according to the Daily Mail. When the 14-year-old returned later in the evening, he did not see Anna in the room and assumed she was with their parents and went to sleep.
The Daily Mail reported that Kepner's body was found the next day around 11:17 a.m. by a maid who was cleaning the cabin. The body was reportedly stuffed under her bed, wrapped in a sheet, and covered with life jackets.
NBC News has reported that a court filing related to the previous marriage of Kepner's stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, indicated that the FBI was investigating Kepner's 16-year-old stepbrother. Kepner's stepmother and father have been together since 2023.
The network reported that the court filing asked for a pause in the case, stating that Hudson "has been advised through discussion with FBI investigators and her attorneys, that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action."
https://www.fox13news.com/news/anna-kepner-mom-teen-who-died-cruise-ship-remembers-her-daughters-constant-smile
"Anna was pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself," her obituary states. "She loved her siblings deeply and made sure they always felt it whether it be taking them to the park, Halloween Horror Nights, or just out for fun, because that's who she was: thoughtful, nurturing, and always thinking of others."
