Cruise Ship Passenger Anna Kepner's Heartbreaking Final Words To Her Grandparents Revealed

The heartbreaking final words of the cheerleader who died on a Carnival cruise ship have been revealed.

As we previously reported, 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead on a Carnival Horizon cruise while on vacation with her father, Christopher Kepner, stepmom, Shauntel Hudson, stepsiblings, and grandparents to the Caribbean earlier this month. On November 7, the teen told her parents she wasn’t feeling well and returned to her cabin, which she shared with her 16-year-old stepbrother and another younger stepsibling.

Related: Why Celeste Rivas’ Cause Of Death May Never Be Determined As D4vd Becomes Official Suspect

Surveillance footage showed the stepsiblings going into the room shortly after. The youngest then left again to take pictures on the cruise deck. When the younger sibling came back to the cabin, Anna was gone. However, they didn’t suspect anything. They just thought she was out and about exploring the ship. But when she didn’t show up for breakfast the next morning, a staff member made a shocking discovery. Anna was found dead under the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered by several life jackets. OMG.

Since Anna died in international waters, the FBI is currently investigating. And according to a copy of the death certificate ABC News obtained from the Kepner family on Monday, her death has been ruled a homicide. The document revealed her cause of death as “mechanical asphyxia,” and the date of injury as November 6. The death certificate states the teenager “was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).” Horrifying. A source close to the investigation previously told the outlet she died from asphyxiation caused by a “bar hold” — an arm across her neck. Law enforcement also determined there were two bruises on the side of her neck.

The insider claimed there was no preliminary evidence of sexual assault, and no drugs or alcohol were in Anna’s system at the time of her death. However, the official autopsy and toxicology reports have not been released. The Miami-Dade medical examiner also declined to comment on the matter to ABC News.

What a terrible tragedy…

Now, while waiting for more updates on the case, the grandparents, Barbara and Jeffery Kepner, are speaking out about the loss of Anna for the first time. And they are, of course, devastated by what happened. Her granddad told ABC News on Monday:

“We were looking forward to seeing her grow.”

Anna’s grandmother added:

“She had purpose, she wanted to do things. This little tiny, 110-pound girl, she was mighty, she was very mighty.”

Sadly, the pair won’t get to watch her achieve her dreams due to her death. Oof. Barbara, who was on the cruise with the family, went on to recall that horrible day Anna’s body was found. She said she went into complete shock when Christopher told her the horrific news:

“I knew when he walked in the room, something was wrong. And all he could say to me was, ‘Anna.’ The last I can remember for probably that morning is I just screamed. I couldn’t stop screaming.”

So, so sad. Barbara and Jeffrey had last seen their granddaughter the evening prior. They remembered Anna decided to go to her room early because her braces were bothering her at dinner. Barbara said:

“She just said, ‘Meemaw, I think I’m gonna go back to my room for a little bit, I don’t feel well.”

But later Anna decided to come back down and spend time with her grandparents at the casino. Barbara continued:

“And she must have felt better because she got dressed up and she came down. We were playing in the casino. And she sat down and she played $20. And she didn’t win anything. And she said, ‘Meemaw, I love you guys, I’ll see you later.’”

Those were the last words Anna ever said to her grandparents. They never got to see the teen again. Barbara shared:

“She’d pop in and out to check in with us. And we never saw her again after that.”

We can’t imagine how they must feel. At this time, no charges have been filed in her case. But court filings from an unrelated custody battle between Anna’s 16-year-old stepsibling’s parents identified him as “a suspect in the death of a step child during the cruise.” The FBI has not named him as an official suspect in her death, though. Given what they know so far, Barbara cannot help but think he had something to do with her granddaughter’s passing:

“I mean, he was in a room with her. He was the only one seen coming and going, so… I can’t accuse him because I don’t know what happened in that room, but the summation would be that he did something.”

That said, she feels they had a “sister and brother” relationship and that they “cared about each other in the right way.” The grandmother also sat in on parts of the 16-year-old’s interview with investigators and claimed he was very emotional:

“I heard him in his own words say he does not remember what happened. He was an emotional mess. He couldn’t even speak. He couldn’t believe what had happened.”

Hmm. Hopefully, law enforcement can get to the bottom of what happened to this poor young girl soon. Watch the interview (below):

[Image via Anna Kepner/Instagram, ABC News/YouTube]