Iowan dies after falling off cruise ship

A Cedar Rapids man is dead after falling from a Carnival Cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.19-year-old Michael Hepner was vacationing with his girlfriend and her family. Early Sunday, the couple got into an argument and Hepner lowered himself over the rail, slipped and fell in. The body was recovered by a Coast Guard helicopter. Hepner was a student at Indiana University and had attended Iowa State University last fall. It’s unclear if he drown or died from exposure to the 55-degree water or from the impact of the fall.