Quick Read
- Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead on a Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 7, 2025.
- Her 16-year-old stepbrother has been charged with homicide by the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida on February 3, 2026.
- The charges were revealed through court documents filed in an unrelated custody case involving the stepbrother’s parents.
- Anna’s cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation, and her body was found under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets.
- The federal case against the juvenile suspect remains sealed, with no official comments from the FBI or Medical Examiner’s Office.
MIAMI (Azat TV) – The 16-year-old stepbrother of Florida teenager Anna Kepner has been charged with homicide in connection with her death aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November 2025, a significant development that has brought renewed attention to the ongoing investigation. The charges, filed by the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, were revealed through court documents in an unrelated custody dispute, as federal authorities maintain a tight silence on the sealed case.
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high school senior from Titusville, Florida, was found dead on November 7, 2025, aboard the Carnival Horizon. Her body was reportedly discovered under a bed in a cabin she shared with her stepsiblings, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets. The Medical Examiner’s Office later indicated asphyxiation as the cause of death.
Homicide Charges Revealed Amid Custody Dispute
The revelation of the homicide charges against Anna Kepner’s stepbrother emerged from an emergency custody petition filed on February 20, 2026, by Thomas Hudson, the stepbrother’s biological father and ex-husband of Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson. According to the petition, which cites social media posts from the Kepner family, the stepbrother was charged with homicide on February 3, 2026, by federal prosecutors. The stepbrother, who has not been publicly identified because he has not been charged as an adult, was reportedly seen entering a federal courthouse in Miami on February 6, 2026, for proceedings related to the sealed criminal case, as reported by FOX News.
Thomas Hudson’s petition seeks sole custody of his and Shauntel Hudson’s 9-year-old daughter, citing the ‘significant and unanticipated change of circumstances’ brought about by the criminal investigation into his son. The court documents highlight the complex situation for the minor child, who is currently living with her mother and Anna’s father, Chris Kepner, while her brother faces serious allegations.
Allegations of Misconduct on Carnival Horizon
The custody filing also contains allegations from Thomas Hudson regarding the family’s conduct during the cruise. He claimed there was a ‘lack of supervision’ of the children, ‘inappropriate living arrangements’ between the kids, and that minors may have been allowed to drink alcohol while on the ship. The Kepner family has denied these accusations in previous court hearings. The petition further suggests that information obtained by Thomas Hudson could ‘potentially call into question the judgment and parenting’ of Shauntel Hudson and Chris Kepner.
Details within the custody documents also shed light on the alleged suspect’s condition. Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, reportedly stated in a December 5, 2025, court hearing that her son takes medication for ADHD and insomnia. She confirmed that he had not taken his insomnia medication for two nights on the cruise, including the night before Anna’s body was discovered. Following the incident, he reportedly told his mother, ‘I can’t remember anything,’ during a brief interaction while he was in a facility, according to text messages cited in court. Chris Kepner, Anna’s father, has publicly stated, ‘I do not stand behind what my stepson has done. I cannot say that he is responsible, but I can’t decline.’
Ongoing Investigation and Lack of Official Comments
Federal agencies involved in the investigation, including the FBI and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, have consistently declined to release information or autopsy results, citing their policy on active and ongoing investigations. This has left many details surrounding Anna Kepner’s death unconfirmed by official sources, with much of the publicly available information originating from the contentious custody proceedings.
Anna Kepner was remembered by her family as a vibrant and energetic individual with dreams of joining the U.S. Navy and becoming a K-9 police officer. Her obituary described her as ‘pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself,’ someone who loved the sun, water, and radiating light to others. Her tragic death and the subsequent homicide charge against her stepbrother have cast a somber shadow over her memory and raised profound questions about family dynamics and safety at sea.
The unfolding legal proceedings, though primarily revealed through an ancillary custody battle, underscore the gravity of the charges and the complex personal ramifications for all involved, particularly given the suspect’s juvenile status and the sealed nature of the federal case.