Shocking details of how popular cheerleader, 18, was found dead, stuffed under a bed on Carnival cruise ship
The body of a high school cheerleader found dead on board a Carnival cruise ship was found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under a bed, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
Anna Kepner, 18, was on a six-day Caribbean getaway with her family when she was declared dead in international waters between Mexico and Florida.
FBI agents swarmed the Carnival Horizon when it arrived back at the Port of Miami but have not disclosed what happened to her – or whether she was murdered.
Sources have now told Daily Mail that Anna complained of feeling unwell on the evening of November 6 while she was eating dinner and she headed back to her cabin.
When her dad Christopher Kepner, 41, and stepmom Shauntel Hudson, 36, gathered the family for breakfast the next day there was no sign of the bubbly, popular teenager from Titusville, Florida.
They began searching the $800million Panama-registered ship but it was eventually a maid who stumbled across Anna's body when she entered the cabin to service it around 11am on November 7.
Two sources who spoke with the Daily Mail under condition of anonymity say the pretty youngster was found wrapped in a blanket, covered over with life jackets and stuffed under a bed.
Anna's father did not respond to questions about the grim discovery and the FBI would not comment on our new information.
Sources exclusively told the Daily Mail that the body of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner was found wrapped in a blanket, covered with life jackets and stuffed under a bed
Chris Kepner and his wife, Shauntel Hudson, noticed Anna was missing at breakfast after she returned to the cabin the previous night because she felt ill – sparking a frantic search across the $800million ship
The search for Anna ended in heartbreak when a maid aboard the Carnival Horizon discovered her body around 11am on November 7 while entering the cabin to clean it
Heartbroken Christopher insisted in a previous interview with the Daily Mail that investigators had shared barely any details about the circumstances of his daughter's death.
‘We were there as a family. Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don't know who they are looking at or what their investigation is,' he said.
‘The FBI hasn't shared anything with me yet. I would imagine they're going to be in contact with me about it – but I know as little as everybody else.
‘I have no idea what is going on right now. We are just trying to sit still and wait for answers.'
The Miami Dade County Medical Examiner listed Anna's time of death at 11:17am on November 7 without specifying where or how it happened.
Because the Carnival Horizon – a towering 133,500-gross ton megaship with room for 4,700 guests – was midway between Cozumel and Miami, the inquiry is beyond the scope of local law enforcement and falls under the purview of the FBI.
The information vacuum surrounding Anna's demise has spawned an avalanche of gory speculation on TikTok, Reddit and other social media sites.
‘I've had to shut the world out. I don't watch the TV anymore. We've literally had to stop doing anything to do with the internet,' said Christopher, a crane operator.
Anna’s grieving father did not respond to questions about the grim discovery, and the FBI declined to comment on the new information
With so few details released, Anna’s death has triggered a swell of lurid theories across TikTok, Reddit, and beyond. Adding to the eerie online chatter is a TikTok she posted from the same ship six months ago, saying she couldn’t wait to return
‘We are very private people. Our lives have been turned upside down.'
Anna – known by her nickname Anna Banana – was set to graduate in May and had plans on joining the military.
A gymnast and varsity cheerleader, she attended Temple Christian School in Titusville, where her Kia Forte remained parked up, covered in flowers and tributes from heartbroken pals.
She was a ‘bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom,' the school said in a touching Facebook post.
Anna grew up with her dad, stepmom Tabitha Kepner, 33, and younger brother and sister. Tabitha told the Daily Mail she was ‘still waiting for answers' and couldn't comment further.
Christopher was recently remarried to Shauntel who has three kids of her own, two of whom live with her.
The blended family share a smart, three-bed home close to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.
Christopher revealed his daughter's ultimate career goal was to join the local police department so she could protect her friends and family.
Christopher recently remarried Shauntel , his third wife, who has three kids of her own
The blended family share a modest three-bedroom home close to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
Heartbreaking tributes and flowers were left on Anna's car which remains parked outside Temple Christian school in Titusville, Florida
‘Anna was an 18-year-old, beautiful young girl; she had a whole life ahead of her,' he told the Daily Mail.
‘She was graduating in May and then she was going to go off into the military to be master of arms and after a few years come back to her small town to be in a canine unit with the Titusville Police Department.
‘She spent so much time giving to others if it wasn't just going to a friend's house or a family member's house and noticing that there was dishes in the sink she was the kind of girl that would do the dishes and not ask for anything.
‘She was full of life and loved by everyone in this community. She was special to so many people. The whole family is lost for words. We miss her and love her more than anything.'
Anna had been on previous cruises and had raved about her love of travel on TikTok.
One post showed her enjoying a cruise on the very same boat six months earlier. She danced about in a white dress and captioned the haunting clip: ‘I wanna go back.'
The Carnival Horizon had visited Jamaica to deliver hurricane aid supplies and made tourism stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel before heading back to Miami.
When it arrived in port on November 8 passengers were told to leave their cabins earlier than usual, according to Cruise Blog.
Carnival said in a statement: ‘Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.'
A spokesman for the FBI added: ‘No further information is being released at this time.'