Florida Teen Charged in Stepsister's Cruise Death

An 18-year-old Florida high school senior died from asphyxiation during a family cruise in the Caribbean last November, and her 16-year-old stepbrother has been charged with homicide in connection with the incident, according to federal court documents.

Anna Kepner, a cheerleader from Titusville with plans to join the Navy after graduation, was found dead in her stateroom aboard the Carnival Horizon on November 8, 2025. The ship had been on a weeklong voyage that departed from Miami and visited ports including Mexico. A housekeeper discovered her body under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office determined the time of death as 11:17 a.m. the previous day and ruled the cause as mechanical asphyxiation due to force applied to her neck, with two bruises noted on the side of her neck consistent with an arm bar hold.

Kepner had shared the cabin with her stepbrother and a younger half-brother. The night before, during a family dinner on November 6, she told relatives she felt unwell and returned to the room early. Her younger brother later reported hearing yelling and furniture moving from the cabin, including the...