Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog
The stepbrother of Ana Kepner, the 18-year-old girl whose body was found wrapped in blankets under a bed on a cruise ship, recently appeared in Federal Court in Miami, according to media.
The hearing related to the Titusville, Florida, teen’s death in November, and any related documents, will be sealed as the stepbrother in this case is a minor, according to reporting from national media outlets. The 16-year-old boy has yet to be named publicly in this case. That will only change if the teen is tried as an adult.
He was represented by a public defender and appeared before Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres and was later processed for pretrial release, NBC 6 South Florida reported. It is unclear what the teen was charged with related to Kepner’s death.
What Happened?
On Nov. 7, 2025, Kepner’s body was found by cruise ship cleaning personnel underneath a bed in the cabin she allegedly shared with her two stepsiblings, 16 and 11 years old. The Brevard County family was traveling aboard a Caribbean cruise and was heading back to PortMiami when her body was found wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets.
The FBI is spearheading the investigation because it occurred on international waters, according to reporting from The Miami Herald.
A Miami-Dade Medical Examiner concluded that her cause of death was asphyxiation, according to media reporting. It was first revealed to the public that Kepner’s stepbrother was a suspect in her death following the filing of court documents related to his parents’ divorce.
Kepner, who was expected to graduate from high school in May, was described as a bright student who planned to join the military. In a statement to ABC News, her family told reporters that “she wanted to do something that would help her community.”
“She was a people person,” her family said in a statement. “She loved being around people. She had that type of energy that just drew you in with her smile and the way she carried herself. She was such an easy person to talk to.”
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with decades of experience representing individuals and families who have been negatively impacted by the negligent actions of cruise lines. Our skilled trial attorneys work tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome for every client whether they were harmed on an excursion, while seeking assistance from the ship’s medical staff or while on the ship. Over the years, Leesfield & Partners has been a tireless advocate for cruise ship and maritime safety.
As common carriers, cruise lines owe a heightened duty of care to ensure the safety and well-being of their passengers. This duty encompasses maintaining hazard-free decks, promptly repairing loose railings and ensuring that excursion transportation – such as buses – are safe and properly maintained.
Additionally, cruise lines are obligated to provide adequate medical care while at sea and to recognize when a passenger’s condition requires emergency evacuation. Similarly, they must take reasonable measures to protect passengers from criminal acts, whether committed by fellow passengers or crew members.
Previous Cruise Ship Excursion Cases
Previously, Leesfield & Partners represented a family after a mother and daughter bought a parasailing excursion while aboard a cruise ship. What should have been a thrilling adventure shared between the two turned into a nightmare while they were up in the air. A malfunction with the excursion equipment caused them to fall rapidly toward the water. Tragically, the mother did not survive, and her daughter was left with a traumatic brain injury. The case was resolved with a combined settlement of $7.25 million for the families.
In another cruise ship excursion case, Leesfield & Partners recovered nearly $3 million for the tragic death of our client’s adult son. In that case, the young man was traveling with his family and ventured out on a cruise-sanctioned bus excursion. When the bus was involved in a crash, our client’s son was ejected and suffered fatal injuries, a devastating loss for the family.
A rollover ATV crash on a shore excursion caused serious injuries to multiple passengers. Leesfield & Partners settled the case for over $1.2 million.
Our 68-year-old client sustained severe injuries, including a fractured femur, when thrown off a “banana boat” during a cruise’s water sport excursion. The firm secured a $600,000 settlement in that case.
Previous Medical Malpractice Cases
While on a cruise ship, a 16-year-old Leesfield & Partners client was suffering a stroke. Despite her clear signs and her family’s insistence, doctors disregarded them on the basis that teenagers “don’t have strokes.”
Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a multi-million-dollar settlement in that case.
In a medical malpractice case involving a 9-month-old baby whose meningitis was misdiagnosed by cruise ship doctors, Leesfield & Partners attorneys obtained a multi-million-dollar recovery. The child in that case underwent multiple amputations due to the doctor’s failure.
For a 72-year-old who worked as a nurse before her retirement, Leesfield & Partners obtained a $4.24 million settlement after a cruise line failed to test blood administered to her during a medical emergency. As a result, the woman was later diagnosed with HIV. The transfused blood was donated by another passenger.
Another woman, 65, suffered a stroke while onboard a cruise ship that failed to evacuate her in a timely manner. She was awarded $4 million thanks to the diligence and hard work of Leesfield & Partners.
The firm recovered over $3 million for a crew member whose arm was amputated due to the negligence and lack of knowledge of a cruise ship’s medical professionals.
A horrific example of a cruise ship doctor’s negligent medical care involved a crew member who went to the infirmary with symptoms of nausea. While giving him medication that could have eased his symptoms, the cruise’s medical staff ignored a black box warning label on the box that instructed them to give the drug slowly and inject it deep into the muscle. Instead, this staff injected the medication into the man’s IV all at once. He was in immediate agony, the start of an hours-long, excruciating experience.
Doctors aboard the cruise ship searched online for what to do. When the man was eventually able to seek medical treatment on land, his right arm had undergone severe tissue damage. In the end, it could not be saved and doctors had to amputate.
The man was awarded over $3.3 million at arbitration.
If you or a loved one was injured while traveling on a cruise ship, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 305-854-4900 to see if you may be eligible for compensation.
