Cruise-goers and Anna Kepner’s family are still reeling after chilling new details emerged: her 14-year-old brother slept in the very same cabin the night she died — entirely unaware her body lay tucked under the bed just feet away. Anna, an 18-year-old high school cheerleader from Titusville, passed away during a Carnival Horizon voyage, and now federal investigators are examining her 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect.
According to court documents recently filed, Anna shared her cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon with her two younger brothers — her full brother, 14, and her 16-year-old stepbrother, identified only by initials T.H. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Anna returning to the room alone after dinner on November 6, complaining earlier that she didn’t feel well. Later that night, her brothers re-entered the room: the younger boy changed clothes and flitted around the ship taking pictures, then returned and went to sleep, assuming Anna had joined their parents elsewhere.
That assumption tragically proved wrong. According to sources, Anna was last seen alive on the ship’s cameras coming into the cabin, and she was never seen leaving again. It wasn’t until the next morning, when her family discovered she was missing, that questions spiraled. A member of the cleaning staff eventually found her body hidden under her bed — wrapped in a blanket and partially covered with life jackets — right beside the bunk beds where her brothers slept.
The revelation that a young sibling unknowingly rested mere feet away from his deceased sister has intensified public scrutiny. Court filings now officially identify the 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect in her death. Federal authorities are said to be reviewing surveillance video, cabin key-card data, and other ship security records, as part of the FBI-led investigation. Because the death occurred in international waters, the FBI holds jurisdiction.
In a surprising twist, Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, filed an emergency motion in family court to delay a custody hearing — citing the ongoing federal probe. According to her filing, she was warned by investigators that “a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children.” She argued that any testimony she gives could be prejudicial, either to herself or her child, and therefore asked to postpone her required court appearance.
Those closest to Anna remember her as a bright, energetic soul with big dreams: she was a straight-A student and a valued member of her high school cheer team, and she even hoped to one day join the U.S. Navy and serve as a K9 police officer. Her family has described the loss as an unimaginable tragedy, and her upcoming memorial service has been characterized as a celebration of her life — attendees are being encouraged to wear bright, happy colors in her honor.
Despite the intensity of the FBI’s involvement, authorities have not publicly filed criminal charges. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to announce an official cause or manner of death. The delay has left many questions unanswered, fueling speculation and heartbreak in equal measure.
Carnival Cruise Line has stated it is fully cooperating with the investigation. Meanwhile, the case continues to draw widespread attention — a stark reminder of how fragile life can be, even in the most unexpected places.
If anything, Anna’s story — her sudden absence, the mystery in her disappearance, the haunting detail that someone so close to her slept unaware just inches away — hits at something deeply human: how much we can lose, and how urgently we search for truth.
