The FBI are investigating a cruise line after an 18-year-old woman died on one of its ships on Saturday.
Anna Kepner, a recent high school graduate, was travelling on the Carnival Horizon cruise from Miami to the Caribbean when she died.
Details about the circumstances and cause of her death have not been released.
Carnival Cruise Line confirmed her death in a statement to Global News, saying, “Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.”
“Since this is an ongoing matter under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, it is up to the FBI’s Miami public affairs office to provide further details. Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest,” it continued.
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Her family told ABC News that Kepner was a bright, straight-A student with a bubbly personality.
“When she walked into a room, she would light it up,” her family told the outlet. “If you were sad, she’d make you laugh. She would joke around and be the funniest little person in school.”
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“She was a people person,” her family continued, adding that she loved being by the water, and had recently obtained a boating licence and scuba diving certification.
“She loved being around people. She had that type of energy that just drew you in with her smile and the way she carried herself. She was such an easy person to talk to.”
FILE – Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Horizon cruise ship is shown docked in Miami, FL. on Friday, April 9, 2021.
AP Photo / Wilfredo Lee
Her family told the outlet that they’re struggling to come to terms with her death and lamented the plans she’d never get to see to fruition.
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“She had just finished taking the test to join the military,” they said.
“She was already talking to recruiters and had chosen her career path. She wanted to do something that would help her community,” they added, noting that she was an avid gymnast who was on her high school’s varsity cheerleading team, volunteered regularly at her grandparents’ 55-plus residential neighbourhood and often lent a hand to local businesses in her hometown of Titusville, Fla.
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Kepner was a graduate of Temple Christian High School, whose staff described her in a Facebook statement as curious, gentle and caring.
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“Your absence will be felt every day, but your impact and the memories you created will continue to live on in our hearts,” her teacher, Mr. Brunner, wrote.
In a statement on Instagram, Anna’s former employer, Aqua Mart Aquariums, a local pet store in Titusville, spoke of her tireless work ethic and commitment to the job.
“Anna was a pivotal help before we ever moved into our current building, and during the move itself, she worked tirelessly alongside us. Even after we got settled, she stayed right there helping with all the finishing touches to make everything just perfect,” the statement said.
Her grandmother was a retired employee at the same store.
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Her family said Anna was “the best child you could ever meet.”
“We’ll always remember her for who she was,” they concluded.
According to the Carnival Horizon’s website, the ship has a guest capacity of 3,960 and a crew of 1,450. The ship sails from Miami and Galveston, Texas, to the Caribbean.
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