Cause of death revealed for Anna Kepner, the teen who was found dead on cruise ship

Kepner was reportedly on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship’s Caribbean voyage with her father, stepmother and stepsiblings when she went missing.

Credit: AP
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Horizon cruise ship is shown docked at PortMiami, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee,File)

WASHINGTON — A cause of death for Anna Kepner, the Florida teen who was found dead on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month, has been revealed, reports say.

ABC News reported Friday that Kepner died by asphyxiation resulting from a bar hold, a term for holding an arm across the neck. The media outlet also reported investigators found two bruises on the side of her neck. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner has not released an official cause of death.

Preliminary information found there were no signs of sexual assault, and there weren’t any apparent drugs or alcohol in Kepner’s system, ABC News reported. Autopsy and toxicology reports have not been officially released.

The 18-year-old high school cheerleader from Titusville, Florida, was found dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Kepner’s body was found by a housekeeper under the bed in her stateroom on the ship, which returned to Port Miami on Saturday, Nov. 8.

News of Kepner’s cause of death comes days after an unrelated family court case filing suggested a minor may face criminal charges in the 18-year-old’s death.

The disclosure, obtained earlier this week by ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and other media outlets, appears in an emergency motion submitted in a divorce case involving Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson.

In the motion, which requested a delay in a custody hearing, Hudson’s attorneys wrote that she has been told by FBI investigators that “a criminal case may be initiated” against one of her minor children related to Kepner’s death, multiple media outlets report.

Kepner was reportedly on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship’s Caribbean voyage with her father, stepmother and stepsiblings when she went missing.

As of Friday, no one has been charged in the case, and there have been no arrests linked to the teen’s death. Few official details about her death have been released publicly.

Following news of her death, Carnival released a statement that said it was working with the FBI Miami office to investigate the incident and that, “Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI,” the company said in a statement.

Her family previously told ABC News that they wanted her to be remembered for her generosity and spirit. Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, also shared tributes to Kepner on its Facebook page.