A 16-year-old, stepsibling of Anna Kepner, has been federally indicted in the Southern District of Florida. The indictment relates to the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship last November. Court documents state the teenager is indicted for strangulation and other charges related to the homicide.
Victim Anna Kepner was found deceased in November 2025 on the Carnival Horizon. Her body was discovered by housekeeping staff under the bed in the cabin she shared with the teenager. This development has shocked public opinion, particularly among the travel community and the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States.
According to court documents filed by the teenager's biological father's attorney, the teenager was federally indicted on February 3, 2026. As the suspect is a minor, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has not released their identity, and the case file remains sealed for privacy. The teenager appeared before a federal judge in Miami and underwent pre-trial procedures earlier this month.
Additional information from a child custody dispute between the teenager's biological father and stepmother also provides further context. Civil court documents indicate the teenager left home and no longer had direct contact with the family after the fateful cruise. Several social media statements made by the family were also cited in these records.
According to earlier reports, Anna Kepner was last seen at a family dinner on November 6, after which she returned to her room feeling unwell. When found, her body was wrapped in a blanket and covered with a life vest. Relatives stated Anna was an ambitious young woman, planning to graduate high school this year and aspiring to join the U.S. Navy.
Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed full cooperation with law enforcement agencies throughout the investigation. Currently, the criminal investigation is ongoing, and the court has not yet set a public trial date. The public awaits further developments in this regrettable incident.
