Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: BOMBSHELL: TEEN GIRL ON CARNIVAL CRUISE, BODY STUFFED UNDER BED, SHOCK SUSPECT EYED?
Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests:

• Robert Crispin, Private Investigator
• Spencer Ehrenfeld, Cruise Ship Lawyer
• Dr. Thomas Coyne, Chief Medical Examiner
• Allison Paganelli, Forensic Psychologist
• Sidney Sumner, Crime Stories Reporter

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nancy Grace and an expert panel dissect the shocking case of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, a Florida teen found dead and concealed under a bed with life vests on a Carnival cruise ship. The panel explores forensic evidence, cruise ship procedure pitfalls, the complexities of the investigation, and new revelations regarding a possible suspect within Anna's family. The tone is urgent, inquisitive, and sometimes confrontational as Nancy presses each expert for answers no one else seems willing to voice.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Case Background: The "Floating Crime Scene"

• Anna Kepner, a high-achieving 18-year-old from Titusville, Florida, went on a Carnival cruise with her family to celebrate graduation.
• The trip ended in tragedy when Anna was found dead, wrapped in a sheet and hidden under a cabin bed, life jackets piled on top.
• The cruise ship’s transient nature complicates the investigation: “every single one of those passengers got off and they went to all corners of the world... all the evidence that could have been used... could have been thrown over in three to five thousand feet of water.” (Robert Crispin, 04:07)
• Access to potential witnesses and suspects is now scattered globally.

2. The Crime Scene and Family Dynamic

• Conflicting reports on the time of death add to investigative difficulty.
• The victim’s entire family shared a small, windowless cruise cabin (“they're as dark as a coffin in there”).
• Debate erupts over whether it’s plausible the family didn’t notice Anna missing.
  • Nancy is skeptical:

    “Are you trying to tell me they went into their room in the complete dark of night, put on their PJs... but yet they didn't look over at her bunk?” (Nancy Grace, 07:16)

  • Cruise lawyer Ehrenfeld equates it to past cases where family members lost track of each other in cramped, dark quarters.
  • Nancy forcefully dismisses:

    “I would never do it because I'm not buying it... Then a maid has to find her body with life vest stuff down there to hide her. I am not buying it.” (09:26)

3. Timeline & Discovery

• Anna was last seen at dinner, said she felt unwell, and left early for her cabin (17:31).
• The next morning, her absence prompts a search. A maid ultimately discovers the body while changing linens.
• The panel describes concealment of the body as classic perpetrator behavior:

  “What's the first thing [the killer] wants to do right away? Conceal the body...” (Crispin, 10:46)

4. Forensic and Medical Analysis

Time of Death and Evidence Preservation

• Dr. Coyne explains estimation by rigor mortis and stomach contents:

  "If a person is completely out of rigor, it would suggest that at least maybe perhaps 8 to 12 hours has passed from their time of death.” (Dr. Coyne, 13:39) “If she had left dinner having eaten and she still had food in her stomach, that would suggest a small amount of time elapsed from when she left the dinner table to when she was killed.” (Dr. Coyne, 13:39)

• Despite the elapsed time and cruise setting, much evidence on the body should persist for examination.

Cause of Death: Signs of Asphyxiation or Strangulation

• Dr. Coyne describes what the ME would look for—including petechiae, trauma, and bodily fluids:

  “They would have done a sexual assault examination. They would have looked inside her vagina to see if there was any evidence of semen or other fluids… They would have looked for bruising, ...evidence of strangulation… fractures of the thyroid cartilage or hyoid bone, petechiae in the eyes…” (Dr. Coyne, 27:26)

• Petechiae, classic signs of asphyxiation, would still be observable days later.
• Discussion on differences between manual and ligature strangulation, and asphyxiation by a pillow (29:41).

5. Security and Surveillance Issues on Cruise Ships

• Cruise ship security is described as inadequate:

  “The security officers on cruise ships are really nothing more than than glorified mall cops.” (Spencer Ehrenfeld, 18:49)
  “A lot of them are just everyday random people...who went out and got a security license and passed an Internet test...don't have a clue how to lock down a crime scene.” (Robert Crispin, 33:37)

• Panel emphasizes importance of digital records:
  • Digital key access logs and CCTV footage are key to reconstructing entry/exit from the cabin.
  • Nancy underscores the vulnerability:

    “It’s like being in a Vegas casino...every square inch is covered...all you have to do...is sync that with the CCTV… and you’ll be able to time precisely when she entered the cabin and when each and every other member of the family...entered the cabin.” (32:04)

6. Break in the Case: Family Member Eyed as Suspect

• Court filings from an associated divorce case reveal the FBI is scrutinizing Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother as a potential suspect (19:03).
• The stepmother filed to postpone a custody hearing, citing the active criminal investigation and risk to her minor child.
• This connection emerges not from law enforcement releases, but from civil filings—underscoring the complexity and opacity of the early investigation.

7. Context: Anna Kepner’s Life and the Cruise

• Anna was a senior at Temple Christian, athlete, cheerleader, aspiring military recruit.
• Her love of cruises was well-known; the fatal voyage was a birthday gift enjoyed before with family.
• The Carnival Horizon is described as a floating city—almost 4,000 passengers, 1,500 crew, myriad amenities—underscoring the scale and chaos investigators face (37:06).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Nancy Grace [05:41]:

  "Oh, okay, so you think she died of natural causes at age 18? What, she went under there, had a heart attack, committed suicide, and then covered herself up with a blanket? Of course this is murder."

• Spencer Ehrenfeld [18:49]:

  “The security officers on cruise ships are really nothing more than glorified mall cops.”

• Robert Crispin [33:37]:

  “Some of these people are just everyday random people...who went out and got a security license and passed an Internet test... don’t have a clue how to lock down a crime scene...”

• Dr. Coyne [29:09]:

  “All of the petechiae, if there was petechiae present in the eyes, they would still be there.”

• Sidney Sumner [19:03]:

  “We’ve learned through the court documents related to this custody disagreement that the feds are eyeing Anna’s stepbrother as a suspect in her death.”

Important Timestamps

• Cabin Concealment & Crime Scene Challenges: [04:07] - [05:41]
• Family's Role & Knowledge Discussion: [06:07] - [09:26]
• Body Discovery & Forensic Concealment: [09:51] - [10:46]
• Time of Death Forensics: [11:11] - [14:59]
• Surveillance, Keycard, and Digital Forensics: [32:04]
• Cruise Security Flaws: [33:37]
• Stepbrother Named as Suspect: [19:03] - [22:44]
• Scale of the Investigation: [37:06]

Conclusion: The Unfolding Investigation

Nancy Grace and her team paint a picture of overwhelming complexity and potential foul play, made more challenging by jurisdictional flaws, security inadequacies, and a web of familial and legal entanglements. The episode ends with an appeal for information and a forceful reminder:

“If you know or think you know anything about the death of this teen girl, Anna, dead on a Carnival Cruise, call...” (Nancy Grace, 37:37)

The case remains unsolved, with national attention waiting on answers from forensic evidence, digital surveillance, and the FBI’s investigation.