18-year-old passenger dies on Carnival cruise, FBI investigates

An 18-year-old cruise ship passenger on the Carnival Horizon has died and now the FBI is investigating.

Family members said Anna Kepner died while on the trip, ABC News reported.

A passenger who was reported dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship Saturday has been identified as an 18-year-old high school student.

The FBI is investigating her death. https://t.co/jCPC5a3ZiV
— ABC News (@ABC) November 10, 2025

The details concerning how she died have not been released.

The ship returned to port in Miami on Saturday, as scheduled and the FBI opened an investigation, The Associated Press reported.

Carnival Cruise Line confirmed that a passenger died and that it was cooperating with the agency.

The Horizon carries about 4,000 passengers on its trips between Miami and the Caribbean. It also carries about 1,450 crew members.

Kepner’s family said, “She had just finished taking the test to join the military. She was already talking to recruiters and had chosen her career path. She wanted to do something that would help her community,” ABC News reported. They shared that she was an athlete, a member of her high school’s varsity cheerleading team and loved being near the water. She had a boater’s license and was certified for scuba diving.