FBI flag 16-year-old stepbrother of Florida high school senior Anna Kepner as a ’suspect’ in her her death in international waters, but no one has been charged

Anna Kepner, 18, was reported dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 8

Anna was on a six day cruise with her dad, stepmom and stepsiblings

The night prior, she left her at dinner retiring to her cabin after complaining of feeling unwell

She was sharing the cabin with her stepbrothers, 14 and 16

She failed to turn up for breakfast the next morning, her family realized she was missing and a search began

Footage from ships surveillance cameras showed she returned to her cabin, but never exited

Stewards found her body wrapped in a blanket, shoved under her bed which was next to the bunk bed shared by her brothers

Anna Kepner, 18, was reported dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 8, 2025

Anna Kepner, 18, was reported dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 8.
The high school senior from Titusville, Florida, was on the cruise ship with her blended family, her dad, stepmom and step-siblings.
the FBI now view her 16-year-old stepbrother as a“suspect” in her killing, according to court documents, along with troubling allegations about her blended family.
The stepbrother, who was identified as “TH” in documents, remains in the care of one of his maternal relatives as the investigation into Kepner’s death on board a Carnival cruise ship on Nov. 7 continues.
The revelation came from a messy custody dispute between Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.
Both have filed legal briefs, each attempting to gain full custody of the two minor children they share.
Shauntel accused her ex-husband of domestic and physical abuse against their two youngest children, including the teenager now being questioned by the FBI in the mysterious death of his stepsister.

The body of Anna Kepner, 18, was found crammed under her bed by a cleaning crew aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Her 16-year-old stepbrother, “TH”, is being questioned as a suspect in her death

In an emergency motion filed in a Brevard County family court Monday, Shauntel said Thomas is the subject of an active Florida Department of Children and Families investigation.
Thomas has countered, accusing Shauntel of a “violent altercation” with the couple’s oldest son, who is an adult.
According to court documents, the fight allegedly involved Shauntel and her current husband, Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner.
The allegations, which Shauntel disputes, came to light after she went to court to try to postpone a hearing scheduled for December to address custody issues with her former husband, from whom she divorced in 2023.

Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Kepner [front center], accused her ex-husband Thomas Hudson [standing behind her], of domestic and physical abuse against their two youngest children.

Thomas also blames his 16-year-old son’s legal trouble on his ex-wife’s decision to keep him away from his father, saying his “future has been put in jeopardy because of the choices made by” Shauntel.
The blended family Christopher Kepner, Shauntel two of Shauntel’s sons, 14 and 16, along with Kepner’s biological daughter Anna, set sail November 2, on the Carnival Caribbean cruise that would end in tragedy.
Anna was found dead in her room wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets at the tail end of the six-day cruise on November 8. 
She was last seen at dinner the previous night when she excused herself from the table, and left to her cabin after complaining of feeling unwell. However, there was no sign of Anna the next morning when her family gathered for breakfast.

Anna was remembered by her family as a “beauty” who “lived every day with her whole heart,” and who hoped to become a K9 police officer after joining the US Navy

The ship returned to the Port of Miami the following day as scheduled.
Anna’s memory was honored in a touching tribute published in the wake of her death.
She was remembered by her family as a “beauty” who “lived every day with her whole heart,” and who hoped to become a K9 police officer after joining the US Navy.
“She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days, anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others,” the family wrote in the obituary, in which they referred to the 18-year-old by her nickname, “Anna Banana.”

Shauntel Kepner, [right], and her ex Thomas Hudson [left], divorced in 2023. The pair have been involved in a messy custody battle. She accused Thomas of domestic and physical abuse against their two youngest children, including “TH”, now a suspect in Anna’s death

The FBI’s Miami office is investigating the death because it took place in international waters.
No official cause and manner of death has been given by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office, which is handling the teen’s autopsy and no charges have yet been filed in the case. 
The record of the case so far is that Anna Kepner, 18, had been sharing the Carnival cruise ship cabin with her stepbrothers brother, 14, and 16.
On Nov. 6, the night she died, Anna left the family at dinner early, retiring back to her cabin after complaining of feeling unwell.

Anna Kepner and her 14-year-old step brother with whom she was sharing the cabin. Her 16-year-old stepbrother, now considered a suspect, shared the cabin as well

Her two siblings headed back to the room later that evening, where her 14-year-old brother changed his clothes and left again to take pictures of the Carnival Horizon as it continued its six-day Caribbean voyage.
When he returned to the shared cabin, Anna wasn’t in bed. Assuming she had gone out again to be with the adults he turned in for the night.
The next day, when she failed to show for breakfast, the family realized she was Anna was missing. As Christopher Kepner, 41, searched the ship for his daughter, a medical emergency was announced over the PA system.
A review of the ship’s surveillance footage showed Anna returning to her cabin. There was no footage of her exiting again.

Anna Kepner with her dad, stepmom and stepsiblings [photo]. FBI are treating her 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect in her death. He’s, left the family home and currently lives with his mother’s relative while the investigation continues

Meanwhile, a cleaning crew had discovered Anna’s body.
Her body was reportedly wrapped in a blanket covered in life jackets and crammed under her bed, which was next to bunk beds her brothers were sharing.
A sad end for a vibrant gymnast and cheerleader who was set to graduate from Temple Christian School in Titusville, Fla. in May. According to her family, she had just completed tests to join the military.