Anna Kepner: Alleged Cause Of Cruise Ship Death Revealed

A new report allegedly revealed the cause of death for Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old cheerleader found dead on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month. Read on for more details.

The Source Of The Cause Of Death

Law&Crime Network host Chris Stewart and a retired NYPD detective, Tom Smith, discussed the matter on YouTube on Friday. First, Stewart gave fans a reminder about the circumstances. And notably, he credited ABC News for the report about the cause of death.

The outlet reported that a source claimed that Kepner was allegedly suffocated in a “bar hold.” It’s a method where the arm is placed across the neck, which, according to a source, caused two bruises on the side of her neck. Apparently, her time of death was at 11:17 in the morning on November 7.

ABC also reported that allegedly, preliminary investigations don’t show any signs of sexual assault. And, there were also no signs of drugs or alcohol in her system. The new disclosure comes only a day after her family pointed the finger at a member of their own family for the death of Anna Kepner.

Investigating Cruise Ship Deaths

Stewart talked about the numerous obstacles faced by the police in this investigation. It drew a lot of public attention because of the rare nature of the case because “you don’t see cases like this that often on cruise ships.”

Tom Smith weighed in from his true crime history, and he stressed the indispensability of the ship’s comprehensive video recording system. He said that law enforcement “are really able to pinpoint exact times and locations of people going and coming because of the videos that are taken on that ship.”

He labeled a cruise vessel as “kind of like Time Square.” That’s because apart from inside the actual cabins, cameras are everywhere. So, surveillance might have shown what time Anna entered her cabin, when she came out, and if anyone else went in and stayed there.

The Step-Sibling

The duo also discussed the puzzling fact that the body of Anna Kepner was hidden under a bed. Obviously, it wouldn’t remain hidden for long. And it wasn’t. After all, previous news reports indicated a housekeeper found Anna.

As the younger step-sibling seems involved as a suspect, they also mentioned that perhaps he was infatuated with the beautiful young woman. Notably, it seems that the step-sibling, aged 16, shared a cabin with Anna. That suspect news arrived on the day of Anna Kepner’s memorial.

Like A True Crime Movie

Actually, it sounds unreal. And Smith noted, “All this plays into this just kind of movie-like crime that took place on this cruise ship.” He went on to say that it would be of utmost importance for the FBI to figure out a definite sequence of events, stating, “the more they establish a timeline in this is going to be very important.”

Although the FBI hasn’t yet made an official statement confirming the details, it seems that the investigation is still underway. Additionally, no official suspects were named by authorities, and the federal investigation is still ongoing. However, the duo did wonder if the sibling is arrested, whether he’d be tried as an adult.

Viewers React 

In the comments section, many true crime followers wanted to say something. One of them opined, “The stepmother should have been sharing a room with the victim not her 16 year old son. What is wrong with people?”

Here are more reactions from the discussion area:

• The step mother and father were weirdos for knowing and allowing him to room with her. he’s a weirdo for obsessing over his step sister, the poor girl was surrounded by weirdos.
• No 18 year old girl should be sharing a room with teenage male siblings. She needs her privacy and to know that she was afraid of her step brother makes it even more cringy. Her father failed her.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and come back often for all your true crime news and updates.