Haunting last post of cruise ship victim Anna Kepner, 18, after rare move to involve FBI revealed
The teen’s family has paid tribute following her death
THE passenger found dead on a Carnival cruise liner shared a cryptic social media post about happiness – just weeks before her death.
Mystery surrounds the death of high school senior Anna Kepner, 18.
Anna Kepner, 18, shared a cryptic post about happiness – just weeks before her deathCredit: TikTok
The teen, 18, was found dead on the Carnival Horizon cruise shipCredit: TikTok
She was on board the Carnival Horizon vessel which departed from Miami and was heading to the Caribbean.
The FBI is involved in the investigation, heightening the mystery as the FBI tends to only focus on a select number of serious maritime crimes.
Cruise ship deaths are typically handled by local law enforcement, as reported by Florida Today.
FBI agents are only called in to probe suspicious deaths.
Factors like geography also determine whether the FBI can investigate alleged criminality on board cruise ships.
The federal agency opened its probe after the vessel docked in Port Miami on November 8.
Kepner’s cause of death remains unknown.
The straight A student who had ambitions of joining the military shared a TikTok post that appeared to allude a relationship in the weeks before her death.
“You deserve to be happy but if it ain’t with me, then nvm,” the on-screen caption said.
The post was shared on October 30.
It’s unclear who Kepner was alluding to in the post.
On her TikTok page, she alluded to other previous relationships, in addition to videos on her lifestyle.
“I don’t know why I’ve been through what I’ve been through but I can promise you I never deserved it,” she said.
“Am I mad at those people for what they did to me? No.
“Am I upset? Yes. But at the end of the day we are all humans that make mistakes.”
There has been an outpouring of grief following the teenager’s death.
She was just months away from graduating high school.
“She would joke around and be the funniest little person in school,” her family told ABC News.
“She was the best child you could ever meet.”
FAMILY’S TRIBUTES
Kepner’s family described her as a “people person.”
“She loved being around people,” they said.
“She had that type of energy that just drew you in with her smile and the way she carried herself.”
Kepner was an avid gymnastics fan and started performing when she was just two years old.
She was also a cheerleader on her high school’s varsity team.
Her car, which was parked in her high school parking lot, was covered with flowers as students paid tribute.
Carnival Cruise Line has not provided any further details apart from confirming a passenger had died.
The Carnival Horizon vessel Kepner was on can carry almost 4,000 guests and has an onboard crew of 1,450.
The ship is used primarily for Caribbean voyages from Miami and Galveston.
The FBI Miami field office has not commented on the probe.
Tributes have been paid to KepnerCredit: Instagram
