Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen’s cruise ship mystery

They're expected to beryllium lifesavers — but successful this case, the champion they whitethorn bash is constituent investigators toward a killer.

The beingness jackets recovered covering 18-year-old Anna Kepner's assemblage connected the Carnival Horizon cruise vessel erstwhile unit discovered her dormant 2 weeks agone whitethorn beryllium key, according to a seasoned detective who is pursuing the case. They are stored successful the closet, not nether the bed, truthful idiosyncratic moved them.

"They're gonna trial the beingness jackets, blankets, immoderate other they recovered successful the room, positive Anna's body," said Pat Diaz, a erstwhile Miami-Dade County homicide detective and present a backstage investigator.

And everything could incorporate important clues. 

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Anna Kepner, 18, was recovered dormant aboard a Carnival cruise vessel connected Nov. 7, during a abrogation with her family.  (Anna Kepner/Instagram)

A preliminary probe recovered grounds Anna had been asphyxiated successful a chokehold, ABC News reported Friday. 

Fox News Digital has not independently verified the report. An authoritative origin and mode of decease person not yet been determined, according to the aesculapian examiner's office. But a root with cognition of the lawsuit said toxicology and different laboratory investigating had not yet been completed but said bruises had been recovered connected the body.

But if idiosyncratic worked up a sweat during a murder, they would person near DNA each implicit the room, the unfortunate and thing they utilized to screen the body, according to Diaz. 

As the FBI continues its probe into Kepner's mysterious decease aboard a cruise ship, forensic experts are apt inactive analyzing DNA and different grounds for clues that could find whether foul play was involved, experts say.

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Anna Kepner was identified by her household arsenic the rider who died onboard the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)

Friday marked 2 weeks since the aspiring Navy sailor was discovered dormant successful her compartment astir 11 a.m. connected Nov. 7.

Her remains were transferred to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office aft the vas returned to larboard the pursuing day. But the forensic pathologist connected her lawsuit has not yet revealed a origin and mode of death.

Diaz said that astatine this point, it's excessively aboriginal for results from toxicology and different laboratory testing. 

"Not lone are they doing DNA to effort and lucifer the 16-year-old, they're astir apt besides trying to regularisation retired the 14-year-old," helium told Fox News Digital. "And nothing's happening accelerated due to the fact that they'll amusement what they get to a expansive jury."

Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and respective siblings successful a household photo. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)

Kepner came from a ample blended household with 8 siblings.

No 1 has been charged with a transgression successful transportation to Kepner's death, but her 16-year-old stepbrother's parents person some said successful tribunal filings that helium is being eyed arsenic a "suspect" by the FBI.

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The FBI declined to comment, citing the progressive investigation.

But others adjacent to Anna person accused the 16-year-old of inappropriate behavior, ranging from climbing "on apical of her" successful the mediate of the nighttime arsenic she slept to reportedly scaring her with a knife.

Her ex-boyfriend, speaking to reporters extracurricular her memorial work Thursday night, said helium was connected a 3 a.m. FaceTime telephone with her erstwhile she fell asleep. Then helium claims helium caught her stepbrother descent into the frame.

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Christopher Kepner (center, reddish hat) arrives astatine a memorial work for his daughter, Anna Kepner, astatine the Grove Church successful Titusville, Florida, Thursday, November 20, 2025. The 18 year-old cheerleader was reportedly recovered dormant nether a furniture connected a Carnival Cruise connected November 7. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

"I was like, what the hellhole are you doing successful her room?" helium said. "Then helium got frightened and ran away, and I heard his footsteps moving done the location 'cause helium got caught."

If investigators are truly eying him arsenic a fishy arsenic his parents suggested, past they're going to absorption connected the grounds successful the cabin, Diaz said.

The stepsiblings were staying successful the country together, Anna's stepgrandfather, Chris Donohue, told Fox News Digital previously.

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"They're not going to unreserved this one," said Nicole Parker, a erstwhile Miami-based FBI cause who worked successful the aforesaid bureau that is present investigating Kepner's death.

And they don't request to, due to the fact that if the juvenile is so the suspect, arsenic his parents person claimed successful tribunal filings successful a bitter custody battle, minors are little of a formation risk, Parker said.

"[Juveniles] tin perfectly beryllium charged, but the national Bureau of Prisons, they can’t location minors," she said. "So if I’m gonna complaint a juvenile, they person to beryllium enactment successful a peculiar lodging system. For that reason, sometimes the feds volition springiness it to the locals."

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That's improbable successful a lawsuit of this magnitude, however, she said.

"They could complaint him federally, and they could perchance complaint him arsenic an adult," she said.