75 Days Into Anna Kepner Homicide Investigation and Still No Arrests Following Teen’s Death on Carnival Cruise

On Nov. 7, 2025, the body of 18-year-old Anna Kepner was discovered under a bed in her stateroom aboard the Carnival Horizon.

An investigation began immediately. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were waiting when the ship docked in Miami, Fla., two days later after a week at sea.

Now, 75 days have passed since the investigation started — and no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed.

Authorities also have not publicly shared updates about the case. Local police, federal agents, and local, state, and federal prosecutors have released no new information about the status of the investigation.

What is known so far comes largely from court documents that were previously obtained and filed by the parents of Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother, who shared a room with her on the trip.

According to one filing, Anna returned to the room on the night of Nov. 6, 2025. Shortly after 11 a.m. the next morning, she “was found asphyxiated under the bed.”

In a separate filing, the boy’s father, Thomas Hudson, stated that his son was “currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a federal crime.”

At a Dec. 5, 2025, court hearing, the lawyer for the boy’s mother, Shauntel Kepner, offered a limited update connected to the broader investigation.

Attorney Millicent Athanason told the judge that Shauntel had sent her teenage son to live with a relative to eliminate “any risk of any danger to any of the other children in the home.”

Court filings indicate both parents agreed to that move. However, in one brief exchange, Hudson sent Shauntel a message stating: “I kept my mouth shut when you told me that you can’t jeopardize your marriage for helping [redacted] your son.”

Anna Kepner Timeline: Final Days of Florida Teen Before Cruise Ship Murder

Athanason also told the judge that delays were tied to the FBI determining whether the evidence would be turned over to state or local authorities.

“My clients were informed [the teenager] was a suspect, and since his release from the hospital after his return to the United States, he was placed with a relative of the mother,” Athanason said in court.

At the time, the FBI declined to comment. When asked again about the current status of the investigation on Jan. 21, 2026, the bureau again declined to comment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Office of the Miami-Dade State Attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, the custody dispute between Shauntel and her ex-husband remains unresolved after attorneys for both sides were unable to present their arguments within the allotted time at a scheduled court hearing.

Hudson is seeking custody of the couple’s minor daughter in the wake of the cruise ship incident.