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The FBI has launched an investigation into the tragic death of Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high school senior from Florida, who was found deceased on a Carnival cruise ship. Her untimely passing comes shortly after she posted a TikTok video that hinted at personal struggles with heartbreak and a determination to remain resilient.
Just days before the incident, on October 26, Kepner shared a poignant video on TikTok. Accompanied by a montage of selfies, the video contained text that revealed her resolve to “have a smile” on her face despite going through what appeared to be a difficult breakup. The video has since drawn attention due to the circumstances surrounding her death.
“Even after every breakup, being disrespected, being lied to, being cheated on, being used, getting manipulated, getting played, I will always have a smile on my face and a kind heart,” read the on-screen text in her video, as first reported by the legal news site, Lawyer Herald.
Anna’s last TikTok post paints a picture of a young woman grappling with emotional pain. “I don’t know why I’ve been through what I’ve been through, but I can promise you, I never deserved it,” she wrote. “Am I mad at those people for what they did to me? No. Am I upset? Yes.”
“I don’t know why I’ve been through what I’ve been through, but I can promise you, I never deserved it,” the post continued. “Am I mad at those people for what they did to me? No. Am I upset? Yes.”
Her final post, on Oct. 30, was much shorter.
“You deserve to be happy, but if it ain’t with me then nvm,” it reads, using shorthand for “never mind.”
Around 11:15 a.m. on Nov. 7, she was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship.
A still image shows 18-year-old Anna Kepner’s cryptic final TikTok post, posted eight days before she was found dead on a cruise ship. (@fl.anna18/TikTok)
Anna Marie Kepner was a senior and member of the varsity cheerleading squad at Temple Christian School, a private K-12 Baptist school in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles east of Orlando, Fox News Digital reported previously.
Her remains were returned to shore in Miami Saturday morning, and a cause and manner of death have not yet been released.
She was reportedly a straight-A student who planned to join the U.S. military after graduation, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Anna Kepner was identified by her family as the passenger who died onboard the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)
Kepner’s close friend, Gennavicia Guerrero, 18, told FOX 35 that Kepner was a positive influence on her friends and encouraged them to do well in school, too.
“This can’t be real,” she said.
Attempts to reach her family were unsuccessful Thursday.
Her father broke his silence in an interview Wednesday with the Daily Mail, explaining that the family went on a six-day cruise together and that she had died under unknown circumstances while the vessel was in international waters in the Gulf of America.
“We were there as a family,” he told the outlet. “Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don’t know who they are looking at or what their investigation is.”
He said he had not yet heard anything from the FBI.