Anna Kepner’s family is reeling after the 18-year-old from Titusville, Florida, was discovered dead in her cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon earlier this month, a trip that was supposed to be a family getaway. The discovery — a cabin steward found her wrapped in a blanket and partially concealed beneath a bed after the ship docked in Miami — has sparked an active federal investigation that has turned private grief into public scrutiny.
Court filings and multiple law-enforcement sources now indicate investigators are focusing on a member of Anna’s own blended family: her 16-year-old stepbrother, identified in court documents and reports as Timothy “Tim” Hudson. The filings in a related custody dispute publicly acknowledged that a criminal case “may be initiated against one of the minor children,” placing that child squarely under federal scrutiny because the death happened aboard a U.S.-flagged vessel in international waters.
Sources briefed on the inquiry say a preliminary cause of death has been listed as asphyxiation from a so-called “bar hold” — an arm pressed across the throat — and investigators noted bruising on Anna’s neck. Officials have emphasized the medical examiner’s final autopsy and the official manner of death remain pending, and the FBI, which has jurisdiction on deaths at sea, has declined to comment publicly while it continues to review ship surveillance and evidence.
According to people who spoke with reporters and items in court papers, Anna had been sharing the stateroom with her father, stepmother and three step-siblings; surveillance reportedly shows her returning to the cabin the night she felt unwell and not leaving it afterward. Family statements, including from a former boyfriend, paint a fraught picture of tension: claims that the stepbrother had behaved obsessively toward Anna, made her uncomfortable, and that other family members heard a commotion the night before she was found. Those accounts have driven the urgency of the investigation even as authorities continue to piece together a timeline.
Investigators reportedly reviewed the teen’s condition after the ship returned to port — court testimony notes he was taken to a hospital immediately upon docking — and he is currently residing with a relative while federal agents continue to sift through thousands of hours of cruise surveillance footage and other records. No arrests have been announced and the FBI has not named any suspects publicly; prosecutors will weigh the evidence before any criminal filings are made.
For those who knew Anna, the headlines feel impossibly at odds with the girl described in her obituary and by classmates: bright, bubbly and full of plans. Friends and family fondly called her “Anna Banana”; she cheered for Temple Christian School, loved music and had dreams that stretched beyond her small hometown. Her obituary’s line — that she “filled the world with laughter, love, and light” — has been shared widely as people in Titusville and beyond search for a way to honor her memory while questions about her death remain unanswered.
The funeral and a celebration of life drew hundreds, and family members have said they’re trying to balance grief with a desire for answers. Some relatives have reported being kept away from parts of the legal process because of the sensitive, ongoing nature of the federal probe; Anna’s mother, who lives out of state, has said she first learned of her daughter’s death through an online search rather than direct notification, underscoring how chaotic and painful the situation has become. Officials told local media investigators will pursue all available leads, including medical testing and witness interviews, before determining what charges, if any, are appropriate.
At the center of it all is a young woman whose life — by every account from friends, teammates and teachers — was still unfolding. Community members have left flowers, held vigils, and tried to cradle one another through a story that feels both intimate and bewildering: a teenager full of plans, found dead on a ship far from home, and a family now split between mourning and legal battles. As authorities complete forensic work and sift witness accounts, people close to Anna say they only want the truth about how she died and to remember the bright young person beneath the headlines.
The investigation remains active, the medical examiner’s final report awaited, and the federal probe continues to collect evidence and interview witnesses. For now, Anna’s classmates and community are left with memories and a hole that facts and filings cannot yet fill — and a hope that whatever the legal outcome, the truth will bring a measure of closure to those who loved her.
