Southwest
Cruise tragedy: ‘I am not okay,’ says mother of 18-year-old found dead aboard Carnival ship
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The death of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship sparked grief, confusion and tension within her large, fractured family.
Her mother’s account — that she quietly attended the funeral against her ex-husband’s wishes while fearing arrest over unpaid child support — underscores how tragedy and estrangement can collide in the public eye.
“I am not OK… is exactly how I feel,” Heather Wright, the estranged mother of Anna, told Fox News Digital.
TEEN FOUND DEAD ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP DIED FROM MECHANICAL ASPHYXIATION, RULED HOMICIDE: REPORT
Anna Kepner was identified by her family as the passenger who died onboard the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)
She split with Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner, when their daughter was 4 and moved to Oklahoma, she said. Despite the estrangement, however, she said she tried to keep in touch over the years.
“She was my daughter, and I loved her with all of my heart and soul,” she said.
She said she was kept out of her daughter’s life after she moved away. She was even left out of her daughter’s online obituary, at first. An edited version added her name and removed references to other relatives.
Wright said she was told not to attend her daughter’s memorial service, which was held last week, claiming that her estranged ex threatened to have her arrested over years of unpaid child support.
CHEERLEADER’S CRUISE SHIP DEATH HAS FAMILY POINTING FINGERS
Anna Kepner’s estranged biological mother, Heather Wright, has opened up about her daughter’s mysterious cruise ship death in a series of TikTok videos. (Heather Wright/TikTok)
“They said I never went, but I did,” she told Fox News Digital. “I didn’t want to be seen, so I made sure no one seen me — plus they can’t stop me from going anyway, even though Chris said he would have me arrested for back child support.”
Christopher Kepner has not responded to Fox News Digital’s attempts to reach him. He is now with his third wife, Shauntel Kepner, whose 16-year-old son has been described as a “suspect” in court documents as part of an ongoing custody dispute between her and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.
ANNA KEPNER DIES MYSTERIOUSLY DURING FAMILY VACATION ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP: TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and several siblings in a family photo. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)
There have been no publicly announced criminal charges in the case, and the FBI has not publicly designated the teen or anyone else as a suspect.
However, both Shauntel and Hudson have referenced the FBI investigation in court filings.
The FBI, which is conducting the investigation, declined to comment.
Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship on Nov. 7, during a vacation with her family. (Anna Kepner/Instagram)
Anna, 18, was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 7 during a family vacation with her father, stepmom, grandparents and some of her siblings.
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Anna’s death has reportedly been ruled a homicide by “mechanical asphyxiation,” but authorities have not announced any suspects or arrests. She was found dead in her cabin in a room she shared with her stepbrother, relatives have said.
“Why am I the bad guy?” Wright asked. “He put them in the same room together.”
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The corporation that owns the Langham Huntington Pasadena has settled a civil lawsuit claiming the luxury hotel hiked room rates while more than 200,000 residents evacuated their homes during the pair of deadly and destructive wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January of 2025. The lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles County District […]
Southern California is bracing for a hot and muggy week ahead, with heat watches in place and a chance of thunderstorms across the mountains and desert regions.
Temperatures are expected to increase each day into midweek, prompting officials to extend a heat advisory until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when it will transition to an extreme heat watch for even warmer conditions through Thursday evening.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with many locations topping 100 degrees and some reaching 110, according to the National Weather Service.
“Monsoonal moisture moving over the area will add to the discomfort, also bringing the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day,” the Weather Service said.
Those thunderstorms are most likely to occur over the mountain and desert areas as subtropical moisture is drawn into the region by a strong ridge of high pressure.
Temperatures along the coast may even reach the 90s by midweek, with very warm temperatures continuing through the night.
“Given the extreme heat and humidity, it’s highly recommended to complete outdoor activities as early as possible,” the Weather Service said.
The high pressure is expected to slowly weaken Thursday, bringing afternoon highs to within a few degrees of normal in most areas by Friday.
Two rare corpse flowers have begun to bloom simultaneously at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the nonprofit organization announced Sunday evening.
Odorysseus, the taller of the two flowers, bloomed first. A second, smaller corpse flower named Odora appears to be following close behind.
The Huntington Library is inviting visitors to take in the flowers’ unique aroma, which is often compared to rotting flesh.
“And so it begins,” the Huntington Library wrote on social media.
Odora is shaped a bit differently than Odorysseus because its spadix is inverted due to a developmental irregularity. This is not expected to affect the blooming of the flower.
“Plot twist!” the Huntington Library wrote on Instagram. “Odora wants to steal the spotlight. Odora’s spathe has started opening, too. Tiny but mighty, we’re in for quite the show with a double bloom.”
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File: The Corpse Flower, as seen in 2024 at The Huntington in San Marino, California. (Photo by Linnea Stephan)
The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, and is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays, and during peak seasons. “Twilight stroll” hours are available on the Huntington’s website.
The public can also watch a live stream of the bloom on the organization’s YouTube channel.
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