{"id":111365,"date":"2025-11-21T19:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365"},"modified":"2025-11-21T19:00:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T00:00:42","slug":"life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365","title":{"rendered":"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

They’re supposed to be lifesavers \u2014 but in this case, the best they may do is point investigators toward a killer.<\/p>\n

The life jackets found covering 18-year-old Anna Kepner’s body on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship when staff discovered her dead two weeks ago may be key, according to a veteran detective who is following the case. They are stored in the closet, not under the bed, so someone moved them.<\/p>\n

“They’re gonna test the life jackets, blankets<\/a>, whatever else they found in the room, plus Anna’s body,” said Pat Diaz, a former Miami-Dade County homicide detective and now a private investigator.<\/p>\n

And everything could contain important clues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

STEPMOTHER IN CRUISE SHIP DEATH MYSTERY FEARS CHILD COULD BE INCRIMINATED: COURT DOCS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A preliminary investigation found evidence Anna had been asphyxiated in a chokehold, ABC News<\/a> reported Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital has not independently verified the report. An official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, according to the medical examiner’s office. But a source with knowledge of the case said toxicology and other lab testing had not yet been completed but said bruises had been found on the body.<\/p>\n

But if someone worked up a sweat during a murder, they would have left DNA all over the room, the victim and anything they used to cover the body, according to Diaz.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the FBI continues its investigation<\/a> into Kepner’s mysterious death aboard a cruise ship, forensic experts are likely still analyzing DNA and other evidence for clues that could determine whether foul play was involved, experts say.<\/p>\n

NO CAUSE OF DEATH FOR CHEERLEADER FOUND DEAD ON CRUISE SHIP AS REPORT REVEALS REMAINS FOUND HIDDEN UNDER BED<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Friday marked two weeks since the aspiring Navy sailor was discovered dead in her cabin around 11 a.m. on Nov. 7.<\/p>\n

Her remains were transferred to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office after the vessel returned to port the following day. But the forensic pathologist on her case has not yet revealed a cause and manner of death.<\/p>\n

Diaz said that at this point, it’s too early for results from toxicology and other lab testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Not only are they doing DNA to try and match the 16-year-old, they’re probably also trying to rule out the 14-year-old,” he told Fox News Digital. “And nothing’s happening fast because they’ll show what they get to a grand jury.”<\/p>\n

Kepner came from a large blended family with eight siblings.<\/p>\n

No one has been charged with a crime in connection to Kepner’s death, but her 16-year-old stepbrother’s parents have both said in court filings that he is being eyed as a “suspect” by the FBI.<\/p>\n

CHEERLEADER\u2019S CRUISE SHIP DEATH UNRAVELS AMID BITTER FAMILY STRIFE AND QUESTIONS AT SEA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The FBI declined to comment<\/a>, citing the active investigation.<\/p>\n

But others close to Anna have accused the 16-year-old of inappropriate behavior, ranging from climbing “on top of her” in the middle of the night as she slept to reportedly scaring her with a knife.<\/p>\n

Her ex-boyfriend, speaking to reporters outside her memorial service Thursday night, said he was on a 3 a.m. FaceTime call with her when she fell asleep. Then he claims he caught her stepbrother slide into the frame.<\/p>\n

FBI INVESTIGATES CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP DEATH IN MARITIME MYSTERY THAT CAN BE \u2018VERY COMPLEX,\u2019 FORMER AGENT SAYS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“I was like, what the hell are you doing in her room?” he said. “Then he got scared and ran away, and I heard his footsteps running through the house ’cause he got caught.”<\/p>\n

If investigators are really eying him as a suspect as his parents suggested, then they’re going to focus on the evidence in the cabin, Diaz said.<\/p>\n

The stepsiblings were staying in the room together, Anna’s stepgrandfather, Chris Donohue, told Fox News Digital previously.<\/p>\n

CRUISE SHIP DEATH: CHEERLEADER\u2019S STEPMOM COULD BE FORCED TO TESTIFY AGAINST HER OWN SON<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“They’re not going to rush this one,” said Nicole Parker, a former Miami-based FBI agent who worked in the same office that is now investigating Kepner’s death.<\/p>\n

And they don’t need to, because if the juvenile is indeed the suspect, as his parents have claimed in court filings in a bitter custody battle, minors are less of a flight risk, Parker said.<\/p>\n

“[Juveniles] can absolutely be charged, but the federal Bureau of Prisons, they can\u2019t house minors,” she said. “So if I\u2019m gonna charge a juvenile<\/a>, they have to be put in a special housing system. For that reason, sometimes the feds will give it to the locals.”<\/p>\n

That’s unlikely in a case of this magnitude, however, she said.<\/p>\n

“They could charge him federally, and they could potentially charge him as an adult,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/life-jackets-meant-save-lives-could-expose-killer-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They’re supposed to be lifesavers \u2014 but in this case, the best they may do is point investigators toward a killer. The life jackets found […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-111365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLife jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"They’re supposed to be lifesavers \u2014 but in this case, the best they may do is point investigators toward a killer. The life jackets found […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-22T00:00:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-22T00:00:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\"},\"wordCount\":803,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\",\"name\":\"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-22T00:00:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery - Wall Street PR","og_description":"They’re supposed to be lifesavers \u2014 but in this case, the best they may do is point investigators toward a killer. The life jackets found […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2025-11-22T00:00:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery","datePublished":"2025-11-22T00:00:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365"},"wordCount":803,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365","name":"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-22T00:00:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/life-jackets-meant-to-save-lives-could-expose-a-killer-in-florida-teens-cruise-ship-mystery-111365#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Life jackets meant to save lives could expose a killer in Florida teen\u2019s cruise ship mystery"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111365"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=111365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}