A blended family set sail for sunshine and laughter. By the end of the cruise, an 18-year-old was dead.

It was a sunny day in Miami when Anna Kepner boarded a cruise ship bound for the Caribbean on November 2, 2025.

The 18-year-old cheerleader was joined by her blended family for what was meant to be a six-night holiday. This included her father — Christopher, 41 — and her younger siblings. Christopher had also brought his third wife — Shauntel, 36, — and her three children; Anna's step-siblings.

Rounding off the group were Christopher's parents — Jeffrey, 59, and Barbara, 63 — who paid for the cruise.

On the final night of the trip, the blended family gathered for one last dinner before their scheduled return to Miami.

It would be the last time the family was all together.

Watch: The police officer who believed her and changed her life. Post continues after video.

During the meal, Anna started to experience pain in her braces and excused herself to the state room she was sharing with her brother and stepbrother. At around 7pm, Anna visited the ship's casino, where she bid goodnight to her grandparents, PEOPLE reports.

About 30 minutes later, Christopher and Shauntel returned to their cabin, across from Anna's, and settled in for the night.

For the next 16 hours, everything appeared normal.

But at 11am the next morning, an announcement rang through the ship's speaker; a member of staff was seeking medical assistance in one of the cabins.

They read out the room number, and Anna's grandfather, Jeffrey, who was playing bingo at the time, said he "recognised it immediately."

It was his granddaughter's cabin.

"I went blank," Jeffrey told ABC News. "I was hoping that it was something minor."

It wasn't. A housekeeper had discovered the 18-year-old's lifeless body under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life preservers.

Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead in her cruise ship cabin. Image: Instagram/@anna.kepner16

The next day, on November 8th, investigators boarded the ship to interview the crew and family members.

Per ABC News, Anna's family said a medical examiner determined her death was caused by asphyxiation, possibly from a "bar hold." Anna's death has been classified as a homicide, according to a copy of her death certificate, provided by the Kepner family to ABC News.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office has not released autopsy or toxicology reports in Anna's death.

Authorities have stressed that no one has been charged and that the investigation remains ongoing.

Anna with her grandparents, Jeff and Barbara. Image: Instagram/@anna.kepner16

However, questions have emerged around Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother after investigators reviewed surveillance footage and key card records as part of their inquiry into who accessed the cabin that night.

Along with cheerleading, Anna was a gymnast, a certified scuba diver, and a licensed boater. After graduating, she planned to join the U.S. Navy and hoped to become a K9 handler and law enforcement officer.

The teenager was reportedly estranged from her biological mother. According to PEOPLE, she thanked her father, stepmother, and grandparents "for stepping up" and being there for her in an old TikTok video.

Right now, the investigation into Anna's death is ongoing. And her father, Christopher, told the publication that he plans to "let the FBI do what they're doing."

"In the meantime, the family will celebrate the holidays as if Anna were still here," he said.

"All I can tell you is that we have a lot of memories, and there's stuff that we'll never tell people. That's for us. That's ours."

Feature Image: Instagram/@anna.kepner16