Health: Cruise Ship Safety Under Scrutiny as Deaths and Crimes Mount at Sea
Experts cite legal complexity and the notion of a 'captive audience' on board as factors in a rising number of on-board incidents.
Cruise ship safety has become a growing public-health concern as a string of on-board deaths, assaults and other crimes draws renewed scrutiny of what happens at sea. In the latest development, the FBI is weighing whether to pursue state or federal charges in the Anna Kepner homicide case after the 18-year-old Florida teen was found dead in a cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 7. Authorities said Kepner died of mechanical asphyxia, and the investigation is ongoing.
Experts say Kepner's case highlights how maritime law can be murky, with rules that shift based on flag, location and whether a ship is sailing or docked. 'Maritime law is extremely complex, and it shifts depending on location,' said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based attorney. 'Whatever flag the ship flies, that law is applicable while the ship is sailing. But while the ship is docked, it is that country's law that applies.' The same environment that creates the illusion of safety can also hinder reporting and accountability, undermining public confidence in how these vessels are policed. 'A cruise ship feels like a world unto its own,' warned Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, adding that the sense of fewer consequences can shape behavior on board.
Decades of headlines underscore a broader pattern. In 1998, Amy Bradley disappeared from a Royal Caribbean cruise while the ship was in the Caribbean; authorities said there was no evidence of foul play after an extensive search, and the case remains unsolved despite an investigation by the Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard and the FBI that found no evidence of foul play.
In Alaska in 2017, Kristy Manzanares was killed by her husband, Kenneth Manzanares, aboard the Emerald Princess in front of their two daughters. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2020 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2021; investigators later said he died in a Juneau prison cell, with officials ruling out foul play after an apparent suicide.
In 2020, a young crewmember was murdered aboard a luxury superyacht in a Paradise Destination setting, a case that drew attention to the vulnerability of crew members on high-end vessels and the gaps in on-board security.
In November, 18-year-old Anna Kepner was identified as the passenger who died aboard the Carnival Horizon, a case that remains under investigation and has renewed calls for clearer safety standards on cruise ships. In December 2024, Michael Virgil’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, alleging he was served at least 33 alcoholic drinks before security responders subdued him with force; the medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by the combined effects of mechanical asphyxia, obesity, cardiomegaly and ethanol intoxication. The family seeks damages under the Death on the High Seas Act.
'We are seeing an incredibly alarming number of serious injuries and fatalities on cruise ships of late,' said Kevin Haynes, the Virgil family’s attorney, adding that the suits aim to force systemic change in the industry to prevent such tragedies.
Experts say the pattern underscores a need for consistent reporting, stronger on-board safety protocols and clearer avenues for victims’ families to seek accountability. The Kepner case, along with decades of others, underscores that the industry faces a public-health challenge as travelers pursue leisure at sea.
