The death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 7, 2025, has left her family and community in shock and mourning. Anna, a straight-A student and varsity cheerleader from Titusville, Florida, was discovered in her cabin under life jackets and a blanket by a cabin maid as the ship sailed back toward Miami. While authorities have disclosed little publicly, court documents indicate that federal investigators, led by the FBI, are actively involved and may be scrutinizing someone within her extended family. The case has also complicated ongoing family court matters, prompting Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, to request delays in her 2024 divorce proceedings due to the sensitive nature of the investigation.
The court filing revealed that Shauntel, her two minor children, an adult child, and Anna’s father, Chris Kepner, were all aboard the cruise at the time of the tragedy. According to her motion, Shauntel was advised that any statements made in family court could jeopardize the federal investigation, highlighting the delicate intersection of personal and legal matters in this case. The filing underscores the extraordinary tension facing the family, caught between grief, legal obligations, and an ongoing criminal inquiry that may involve one of Shauntel’s children.
Investigators are methodically examining the circumstances surrounding Anna’s death. Surveillance footage from the cruise ship, along with data from electronic key cards, is being scrutinized to determine who entered her cabin and when. Her cellphone has been confiscated for forensic analysis, and interviews with passengers, crew, and family members are underway. Carnival Cruise Line has pledged full cooperation with the FBI. These efforts aim to reconstruct Anna’s final hours and provide clarity regarding the events leading up to her death, which remain largely unknown to the public.
Reports indicate that Anna had returned to her cabin early the night before her death, feeling unwell, and was discovered missing the next morning when she did not attend breakfast. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner confirmed she was pronounced dead aboard the ship at 11:17 a.m., though her precise cause of death has not been released. With the ship in international waters, jurisdiction rests with federal authorities, intensifying the complexity of the investigation and limiting the information available to Anna’s grieving family.
Anna was remembered as a vibrant and compassionate young woman. Her family described her as “happy, bubbly, and funny,” a student who excelled academically and cared deeply about her community. She had recently completed testing to join the military and was exploring a career in public service. Beyond academics and career ambitions, she was active in cheerleading and gymnastics, volunteered locally, earned a boater’s license and scuba certification, and had a warm personality that endeared her to friends and family. Her loss is felt not only personally but within the broader Titusville community, where she had been a positive presence.
The Kepner family has largely withdrawn from public life since Anna’s death, grappling with both grief and the pressures of media scrutiny. Chris Kepner described the experience as agonizing, emphasizing the frustration of having limited information from the FBI. Online speculation and social media rumors have further amplified the family’s pain, forcing them to retreat from public engagement. What began as a family vacation intended for joy and togetherness has instead become a complex, painful ordeal marked by federal investigation, uncertainty, and the struggle to preserve memories of a bright and promising young woman. The family continues to wait for answers, hoping that the truth will emerge to honor Anna’s life and provide closure.
