In a new twist shaking the investigation into the death of 18-year-old cruise passenger Anna Kepner, her mother has revealed she handed investigators the small brown travel bag she brings on every trip — a bag Anna borrowed on the night she disappeared.
According to sources close to the investigation, detectives were stunned to find a restricted-classified device inside the bag — an item the cruise line had repeatedly denied existed on the ship.
Inside a hidden zippered pocket that the family says they had “never once opened,” investigators found a ship-issued emergency proximity beacon, a piece of equipment normally reserved for crew officers during man-overboard drills.
The beacon was not registered, not logged, and not assigned to any crew member on the manifest.
And it should never have been anywhere near a passenger.
“That beacon wasn’t a souvenir. It was active,” one investigator said on background. “It was transmitting during the exact window Anna went missing.”
The cruise line had previously insisted that no portable proximity beacons were used aboard that particular vessel class. But the device — worn, scratched, and still functional — contradicts those statements entirely.
When powered on, analysts discovered the beacon contained:
-
A movement log for a 57-minute window near the time Anna vanished
-
A final signal drop-off point near a service corridor that passengers cannot access
-
A deleted device ID, intentionally wiped by someone with ship-level clearance
Authorities are now trying to determine whether the beacon was:
-
Placed in Anna’s bag without her knowledge,
-
Used to track her,
-
or part of a larger attempt to conceal staff locations on the night of the incident.
Anna’s mother, Marlene, said she only turned over the bag after recalling that Anna had borrowed it for the evening.
“She just wanted something small to carry her phone and lip balm,” Marlene said. “I didn’t even think to check the pockets.”
A senior official confirmed that the proximity beacon represents “a direct contradiction to the cruise line’s official statements” and may indicate evidence suppression or unauthorized device usage onboard.
The FBI has now requested full internal records on all emergency equipment, including unassigned or missing items from previous voyages.
Cruise line representatives have declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Officials are expected to address the discovery at an upcoming press briefing — one they say will include questions the cruise line can no longer avoid.
