New video shows Florida teen Anna Kepner dancing on cruise before death

Anna Kepner© PROVIDED BY KEPNER FAMILY

New video posted on social media shows Anna Kepner dancing on the Carnival cruise ship days before she was found dead under a bed in her stateroom.The video, shared with USA TODAY NETWORK by TikTok user Nikcapo609, shows 18-year-old Kepner dancing on an outside deck as the Carnival Horizon sailed away from Port of Miami on Nov. 2. The Titusville teen, who was vacationing with her family, can be seen dancing with fellow passengers, wearing a white tank top and jean shorts.

The man who recently posted the video was a fellow passenger on the cruise ship. He’ll appear on the show “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Jan. 30 to discuss the video and how he discovered Kepner was in it.

Grace has featured the Kepner story several times on her show, which airs Monday through Friday on Fox One and YouTube.

Who was Florida teen Anna Kepner?

Kepner was found dead on Nov. 7 in a stateroom she shared with her 16-year-old stepbrother and a younger sibling on the Carnival Horizon. The ship returned to Port Miami on Nov. 8 when Kepner’s body was taken to the Miami medical examiner’s office.

Several news outlets, including ABC News and People.com, reported the medical examiner determined Anna Kepner died as a result of mechanical asphyxiation. However, the medical examiner’s office has not released any information and referred questions to the FBI.

The case has garnered international attention with outlets from all over the world covering the story as people wonder and speculate how the teen died.

A spokesman for the FBI confirmed to USA Today Network that the case was being investigated but said no comment could be given and the agency has not released any information thus far.

Court records connected to a family custody dispute include detailed discussions of Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother’s possible involvement with his stepsister’s death. The boy’s stepmother is engaged in a custody dispute with the boy’s father, whom she divorced in 2023. In a court filing she said she had been warned her 16-year-old son was being investigated for possibly being involved in the death and charges could be pending.

Documents also show the boy was taken to a facility following the cruise where he stayed for an undetermined amount of time and then went to live with a relative in another part of Florida where his mother said in a court hearing he was undergoing therapy.

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Kepner, an “A” student at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, was described by family and friends as “pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing.”

She received her boaters license before she could drive and had plans to join the U.S. Navy after her high school graduation next year with long-term plans to become a K9 officer. A lifelong gymnast, Kepner was active on her school’s cheerleading team.

Hundreds of people showed up for her celebration of life Nov. 20. In the days after her death, loved ones turned her car into a makeshift memorial with flowers, balloons and messages.

Why have no charges been filed in Anna Kepner’s death?

The FBI has not released any updates on the case and has said it’s likely no information will be released until an arrest has been made.

Scott Robinson, a Brevard-based criminal defense lawyer, said there are a number of reasons charges have not been filed more than two months after the teen’s death.

“I know people want to rush to make an arrest, but it’s better for law enforcement to take their time, dot their i’s and cross their t’s to do things the right way, get justice and fully prosecute the right person,” said Robinson, who is not connected to the case.

He added that if a minor is involved, there are certain precautions that need to be taken. The fact the death occurred on a cruise ship also adds a complexity.

“There are thousands of people on the cruise ship and authorities need to talk to employees, look at videos, talk to various passengers, see what they remember,” Robinson said. “They could be processing prints, processing DNA, we really don’t know. There are a lot of moving pieces involved.”