Deaths on cruise ships happen more than a lot of people think. That's not surprising, because they are floating villages with thousands of passengers, many of them elderly.
According to the Maritime Injury Guide, about 200 people die each year on cruise ships. However, almost all of those were natural deaths. A 2020 study found that homicides on cruise ships are very rare, and the homicide rate is much lower than the rate on land.
It's more unusual to have the FBI involved in a cruise ship death, though, and that's what unfolded in Miami on November 8.
The woman who died was identified as Anna Kepner, 18, according to People.
According to TMZ, the FBI is investigating the death of a passenger who was sailing on a Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Video showing the medical examiner van and a body bag being removed from the ship circulated on X. According to TMZ, the ship sailed as scheduled to Miami, and further details of the death were not yet clear, including the cause of death.
Carnival confirmed to TMZ that the company is cooperating with authorities in the death investigation. “Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI,” the company said in a statement to the Associated Press, which reported that the ship sails to the Caribbean.
“Since this is an ongoing matter under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, all media inquiries need to be directed to the FBI’s Miami public affairs office,” Carnival told WSVN. The FBI has not provided details. The ship returned to Miami on the morning of November 8, WSVN reported.
When someone dies on a cruise ship, the normal protocol is to notify port authorities and have a medical professional examine the body, Maritime Injury Guide explained.
In August, two separate deaths of passengers from Carnival Cruise Line ships were investigated as drownings at Celebration Cay.
From January through March 2025, there were 47 crimes reported on cruise ships, according to a chart from the U.S. government. None was a homicide.