Anna Kepner’s mother says she wasn’t told about her daughter’s death on a Caribbean cruise — and found out only after searching online.
Kepner, 18, a high school student from Titusville, Florida, was found dead under a bed aboard a cruise ship on Nov. 8. She had been traveling with her father, stepmother, and two step-siblings, CBS News previously reported.
Her biological mother, Heather Wright, told CNN that neither relatives nor authorities contacted her with news of what happened.
“I ended up Googling it, because the only information I had was that my daughter was on a cruise,” Wright said.
Wright, who lives in Oklahoma, last saw her daughter a few years ago, according to the outlet. She remembered Kepner as someone who loved being around water.
“She loved the water,” Wright said. “We were constantly going to the lake here where I live so she could go swimming.”
Investigators have released few details about the circumstances of Kepner’s death. Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that she died from asphyxiation. A preliminary assessment said the asphyxiation may have been caused by a bar hold — described as an arm held across the neck — though officials have not publicly confirmed that account.
No person of interest has been named. However, Kepner’s stepmother said in a court filing related to an unrelated matter earlier this week that one of Kepner’s teen step-siblings could face criminal charges. It remains unclear whether any potential charges are connected to Kepner’s death.
Friends and family have been mourning the teenager in an online obituary, describing her as a devoted sister who cared for her siblings and loved making TikTok videos.
“Anna lived every day with her whole heart. She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days — anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others,” the obituary read in part.
