What was meant to become a cherished new family tradition ended in heartbreak when 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship.
Anna, a Florida teenager, cheerleader and aspiring K9 police officer, was discovered by housekeeping staff on Nov. 7. Just over two weeks later, her death was officially ruled a homicide.
“At just 18 years old, she filled the world with laughter, love, and light that reached everyone around her,” her obituary read. “Her family takes comfort in knowing she is now in heaven, laughing, being the center of attention, and enjoying fries with ranch … just as she loved here on earth.”
Because the death occurred in international waters, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe. Investigators have not publicly identified any suspects or persons of interest, but filings in an unrelated court case suggest that Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother may be connected to the case.
Below is a timeline of the events surrounding Anna Kepner’s death and the ongoing FBI investigation.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(662x836:664x838):format(webp)/anna-kepner-3-111025-03-75e10942a72e4b5daeaa9176827cdb19.jpg)
November 2, 2025: Anna boards the Carnival Horizon with her family
On Nov. 2, Anna joined her family on the Carnival Horizon, departing from Miami for a Caribbean cruise. Traveling with her were her father, stepmother, two siblings, two stepsiblings and her grandparents.
Anna’s grandmother, Barbara Kepner, told ABC News on Nov. 24 that the family had booked three staterooms and that the three teenagers — including Anna — agreed to share one room.
“But we had a larger room and we made it very clear that at any time if they weren’t getting along, they didn’t want to be together, we had an extra bed in our room that they could come to,” she said.
November 6, 2025: Anna is seen alive by her family for the last time
The night before Anna’s body was discovered, Barbara recalled to ABC News that Anna complained at dinner that her dental braces were bothering her. She went back to her room for a while but later returned to join the family in the ship’s casino.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(669x1136:671x1138):format(webp)/anna-kepner-3-111025-02-93bf03136f064f5fadfc1af673073fbf.jpg)
“She must have felt better, because she got dressed up,” Barbara said. “And she sat down and she played $20. And she didn’t win anything. And she said, ‘Meemaw, I love you guys, I’ll see you later.’ She’d pop in and out to check in with us. And we never saw her again after that.”
November 7, 2025: Housekeeping staff discover Anna’s body
On Nov. 7, a member of the Carnival Horizon’s housekeeping staff found Anna’s body in the stateroom she shared with other teens.
Her aunt, Krystal Wright, told Fox News that Anna was found under her bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets.
The cruise ship returned to PortMiami the following day, according to Fox 35 Orlando.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/anna-kepner-1-111025-8cae6b97426e4cb2add3e5cb7c7e2acf.jpg)
November 17, 2025: Emergency motion filed in an ongoing custody case
More details about the investigation emerged from filings in a separate custody dispute involving Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.
Thomas filed an emergency motion for temporary relief, stating that the former couple’s “sixteen year old child is now a suspect in the death of the step child during the cruise,” according to court documents.
He also claimed his ex-wife had put their child’s future “in jeopardy.”
Shauntel responded to the motion on Nov. 17, invoking her Fifth Amendment right not to testify at an upcoming divorce hearing because her testimony “could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation.”
November 19, 2025: Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother is described as a possible suspect
Although the FBI has not officially identified any suspect or person of interest, the court motions between Shauntel and Thomas indicate that Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother is potentially under suspicion.
Barbara said investigators told the family that security footage showed the boy was the only person seen entering and leaving the room he shared with Anna, and that he was “an emotional mess” after her death.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/anna-kepner-2-111025-4e8104ffa4fe45e0b6512df94c2ac0d4.jpg)
“He couldn’t even speak,” she recalled. “He couldn’t believe what had happened.”
The teenager, who has not been named, was hospitalized for psychiatric observation after the ship docked in Miami, according to Barbara. He has since been released and told her that he “does not remember what happened.”
November 24, 2025: Anna’s death is officially ruled a homicide
More than two weeks after Anna’s body was found, her death was formally classified as a homicide. According to a copy of her death certificate — shared with ABC News by the Kepner family — she died after being “mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).”
Family members previously told ABC News that the FBI suggested she may have been killed using a bar hold, an arm pressed across the neck. Anna reportedly had two bruises on the side of her neck.
Several outlets, including Fox 35 Orlando and USA Today, report that the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner listed her time of death as 11:17 a.m. on Nov. 7. The medical examiner has not yet released the full autopsy and toxicology reports.
