Anna Kepner's vicious cause of death revealed after teen found dead on Carnival cruise

The Florida cheerleader killed on a Carnival cruise was allegedly
strangled to death in a bar hold, according to a report. 

Anna Kepner died from asphyxiation from the vicious move — an arm across
her neck — and had two bruises on the side of her throat, a source close
to the investigation told ABC News Friday. 

There were no apparent signs of sexual assault, nor were there drugs or
alcohol in her system, the insider said. 

Kepner was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Nov. 8,
officials previously said. She was under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and
covered in life vests, ABC reported. 

Both the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office and the FBI declined to
comment on the new details. 

There is still no word on who carried out the gruesome act — and then
wrapped Kepner’s body in a blanket, covered her in life jackets and
stashed her under a bed — though her step-brother was previously
questioned by the FBI. 

Kepner’s blended family had been on a six-day Caribbean cruise on the
Carnival Horizon when a maid made the horrifying discovery Nov. 7. 

The girl’s 16-year-old stepbrother allegedly had a creepy obsession with
Kepner and relentlessly pursued a relationship with her — even once
caught climbing on top of her while she slept. 

“She was scared of him because he always carried around a big knife,”
the father of Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, Joshua, told “Inside Edition.” 

“He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to
date her.” 

Kepner’s ex tried to warn the girl’s parents, but they apparently didn’t
believe the concerned teen. 

The family was rife with tension, most of which stemmed from the
parents. 

Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, and her ex-husband were involved
in a bitter custody battle over their two kids — who Hudson claimed were
physically abused by their father. 

Kepner’s own mother claimed she was barred from attending her daughter’s
funeral due to long-standing family tensions. 

“I’m going to wear a disguise, I’m going to put a wig on and wear some
really tall shoes because I’m 4 foot 9,” the determined mom, who was
divorced from her daughter’s father 13 years ago, told “Inside Edition.” 

Kepner’s celebration of life was held Thursday.

An obituary written by her loved ones described the teen as a girl who
“loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days,
anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to
others.” 

“She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm,” they
heartbreakingly recalled. “She had a big, beautiful heart, often sending
random ‘I love you’ messages or little gestures that made someone’s
day,” the missive read. 

The 16-year-old, whose family affectionately nicknamed “Anna Banana” had
“big dreams for her future,” including plans to join the US Navy after
graduation and eventually become a K9 police officer. 

The high school senior was set to graduate in the spring from Temple
Christian School in Titusville, Florida. 

A devout Christian who was baptized in May, Kepner’s family wrote that
they take “comfort in knowing she is now in heaven, laughing, being the
center of attention, and enjoying fries with ranch … just as she loved
here on Earth.” 

https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/anna-kepners-vicious-cause-of-death
-revealed-after-teen-found-dead-on-carnival-cruise/