Birth mother says she only learned her daughter, Anna Kepner, died on cruise ship via online search

“I found out through Google. I ended up Googling it, because the only information I had was that my daughter was on a cruise,” said Heather Wright, the mother

Wright has not heard from Anna Kepner’s father or the FBI since her daughter’s death.

When reporters visited the family’s house, they saw Kepner’s car parked outside, but the family left in an SUV without stopping to talk.

“I found out through Google. I ended up Googling it, because the only information I had was that my daughter was on a cruise,” said Heather Wright, Anna Kepner’s mother.

Wright has not heard from Anna’s father or the FBI since her daughter’s death.

THE biological mother of an 18-year-old who died on board a Carnival Cruise Line ship while with her family said she found out about her daughter’s death on the internet.

Heather Wright, the birthmom of Anna Kepner, was aware that her daughter was on a cruise but was kept in the dark about her death.

 

Anna Kepner at a stadium.
Anna Kepner was on a six-day cruise with her family when she was found dead in her cabinCredit: Facebook
 

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Heather Wright, Anna Kepner’s biological mom, said she was kept in the dark about her daughter’s deathCredit: TikTok

Cozumel, Mexico, Cruise Port Pier, arriving Carnival Horizon cruise ship
Wright, Kepner’s birthmom, said she was aware her daughter was on a Carnival Cruise Line ship with her familyCredit: Getty

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A family photo showing Anna Kepner, her father Christopher, and her stepmom, ShauntelCredit: Facebook/Shauntel Kepner
“I found out through Google,” Wright, who lives in Oklahoma, told NBC affiliate WESH.

“I ended up Googling it because the only information I had was that my daughter was on a cruise.”

Kepner, who is remembered by loved ones as a bubbly and easygoing teen, was on a six-day cruise with her family when she was found dead, wrapped in a blanket, covered in life jackets, and stuffed under a bed in her cabin on November 7.

Kepner was on the ship with her father, Christopher, her stepmom, Shauntel, her stepbrother, 16, and another sibling.

In the days following Kepner’s mysterious death, federal investigators are now eyeing filing potential charges against her 16-year-old step-sibling, according to court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun.

The minor was briefly taken into custody before being released and is now living with a relative at an unknown location, his father, Thomas Hudson, said in an unrelated custody battle motion filed in a Florida court on Monday.

Shauntel, the mom of the 16-year-old and Kepner’s stepmom, acknowledged in a separate court filing that one of her children was under investigation by the FBI.

DISTURBING ‘REVELATION’

Kepner, her 16-year-old step-brother, and another younger sibling were sharing a compact cabin on the cruise, according to the Daily Mail.

The high school senior had her own bed while the other two children shared a bunk bed.

On the night of November 6, Kepner returned to her room early after telling her family at dinner that she was unwell.

Surveillance footage from inside Carnival’s Horizon that was recovered by investigators showed Kepner heading back to her room that evening, according to the outlet.

The video reportedly showed Kepner enter the room but she never resurfaced.

A short while later, Kepner’s step-brother and other sibling also returned to the cabin.

The younger sibling left the room and wandered the vessel, taking photos along the way.

The sibling returned to the room and noticed Kepner was missing.

However, the young child did not have any nefarious thoughts, suspecting Kepner was out late with other family members, and went to sleep, according to the Daily Mail.