Medical examiner rules Anna Kepner’s death a homicide by mechanical asphyxia; FBI probe continues
Miami‑Dade records and a family‑provided copy of Anna Kepner’s death certificate list the 18‑year‑old Florida cheerleader’s cause and manner of death as mechanical asphyxiation and homicide; she was found Nov. 7 aboard the Carnival Horizon under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets, and has since been cremated. The FBI’s Miami Field Office is leading the investigation — reviewing ship surveillance, key‑card logs and phone records — and court filings identify a 16‑year‑old stepbrother as a person of interest though no arrests or charges have been announced, with related custody hearings and subpoenas ongoing.
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📌 Key Facts
- Victim: 18-year-old Florida high school cheerleader Anna Kepner was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon (sailing from Miami); a Carnival housekeeping worker discovered her under the bed in her stateroom, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets.
- Medical examiner / death certificate: A family-provided copy of the Florida death certificate lists the manner as homicide and the cause as mechanical asphyxiation; it lists time of death as 11:17 a.m. on Nov. 7, notes the fatal injury occurred on Nov. 6, and records show Kepner has been cremated.
- Federal investigation: The FBI’s Miami Field Office is leading the probe (jurisdiction cited because the victim was a U.S. citizen and the death occurred in international waters); investigators have been reviewing ship surveillance video, electronic swipe‑card/cabin access logs and Kepner’s cellphone records.
- Potential suspect identified in filings: Court and custody filings identify a 16‑year‑old stepson/stepbrother who shared the cabin with Kepner as a suspect and the focus of the FBI investigation; authorities have not publicly named or charged anyone.
- Timeline and immediate aftermath: The family boarded the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 2, returned to Port Miami on Nov. 8, and the FBI questioned family members after the ship’s return; filings say the 16‑year‑old was hospitalized upon returning and is now staying with a relative.
- Surveillance and evidence: Sources and family members say recovered ship surveillance and key‑card records show Kepner with a “suspect” and indicate the stepbrother was seen coming and going from the room; investigators are reviewing hours of additional footage and records.
- Family legal dispute and court actions: A contentious Brevard County custody dispute has produced multiple filings and subpoenas — including a Dec. 5 hearing — with the stepmother (Shauntel Hudson) seeking to postpone testimony citing Fifth Amendment/self‑incrimination concerns for herself or a minor child; attempts to serve subpoenas on Kepner’s father were reported as unsuccessful.
- Behavioral and medical notes about the teen: Attorneys and testimony at the family‑court hearing say psychological/psychiatric testing of the 16‑year‑old has been conducted and results are pending; testimony also noted an ADHD diagnosis and that the teen had skipped prescribed insomnia medication for two days while on the cruise.
📊 Relevant Data
Children in stepfamilies are 40 times more likely to be abused than those in intact families.
Step Parent Abuse Statistics: ZipDo Education Reports 2025 — ZipDo
12.6% of adolescents with ADHD reported experiences of aggression.
Risk for delinquency is increased in youth with ADHD due to harsher discipline and higher prevalence of abuse and neglect; approximately 11.4% of US children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Untreated ADHD contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline and increased risks for serious delinquency in youth with ADHD — Children and Youth Services Review
In the US from 2021-2022, homicide rates showed significant racial and ethnic disparities, with the largest county-level variations among Black and American Indian or Alaska Native populations; Black individuals comprise about 13% of the US population, American Indian or Alaska Native about 1.3%, White about 60%, Hispanic about 19%, and Asian about 6%.
Homicide Rates Across County, Race, Ethnicity, Age, and Sex in the United States, 2021-2022 — JAMA Network Open
Family members are the most common perpetrators of homicides involving infants and children in the US, based on analysis of FBI data from 1976 to 2020.
Study finds family members are most common perpetrators of infant and child homicides in the US — EurekAlert
📰 Sources (14)
Father says ex-wife didn't supervise son who's focus of probe into stepsister's cruise ship death
New information:
- Father Thomas Hudson filed a family-court motion alleging his ex-wife failed to properly supervise their 16-year-old son on the cruise and allowed him to share a stateroom with stepsister Anna Kepner.
- Hudson states he did not give permission for his 16-year-old son to go on the trip.
- The filing says Kepner was found asphyxiated under a bed in the cabin she shared with the teen.
- AP/ABC identify the ship as the Carnival Horizon, sailing from Miami, and note the family group included Kepner’s father, stepmother, the stepmother’s two children, and grandparents.
- ABC News says it obtained a copy of Kepner’s death certificate listing homicide; AP reports the 16-year-old is the focus of the FBI investigation.
FBI weighing state or federal charges against 16-year-old in Anna Kepner cruise ship homicide case: lawyer
New information:
- In a Dec. 5 Florida custody hearing, stepmother’s attorney Millicent Athanason said the FBI is weighing whether to bring federal charges against the 16-year-old stepson or refer the case for state prosecution.
- Court filings from both parents refer to the 16-year-old as a suspect and the subject of an FBI probe.
- The 16-year-old is currently staying with a relative due to safety concerns while the investigation proceeds.
- Attorneys said psychological and psychiatric testing of the 16-year-old has been conducted and results are pending.
- The stepmother testified the teen has an ADHD diagnosis and had skipped prescribed insomnia medication for two days while on the cruise.
- Testimony indicated Anna shared a stateroom with her 14-year-old brother and 16-year-old stepbrother on the ship, per a travel agent’s advice.
- The FBI declined to comment on the attorney’s statements.
Carnival cruise ship death: Family dynamics may explain investigators’ silence, legal expert says
New information:
- A family-court custody hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at the Moore Justice Center in Brevard County, Florida, involving Anna Kepner’s father and stepmother (Christopher Kepner and Shauntel Hudson) and Hudson’s ex-husband.
- A sworn statement by process server Leslie V. Kinsey filed ahead of the hearing describes unsuccessful attempts to serve a subpoena on Christopher Kepner (SUV running in driveway, house lights on, no answer).
- Court filings reiterate the 16-year-old stepbrother who shared a cabin with Anna on the Carnival Horizon is identified as a suspect in those filings; federal authorities have not named or charged the teen.
Father of teen who died on Carnival cruise evades subpoena in related custody case
New information:
- A process server’s sworn statement says Anna Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, evaded service of a subpoena ahead of a Dec. 5 Brevard County custody hearing.
- Process server Michael D. Schotte reported finding the family SUV running, lights on in the Titusville home, a visible Ring camera, and a 'No Trespassing' sign; after leaving the subpoena on the SUV windshield at 10:29 a.m., the vehicle and subpoena were later gone.
- The Dec. 5 hearing is part of a custody dispute between Christopher’s wife, Shauntel Kepner, and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson; filings indicate the 16-year-old stepson is under FBI investigation connected to Anna’s death.
Father of cheerleader who died on Carnival cruise subpoenaed to testify in custody case
New information:
- Brevard County family court subpoena orders father Christopher Kepner to testify at a Dec. 5 hearing.
- The subpoena was filed by Thomas Hudson’s attorney, Scott Smith.
- Hudson’s Nov. 17 filing seeks custody of his daughter with Shauntel Kepner, arguing her parenting put their 16-year-old son’s future in jeopardy and citing an alleged prior violent altercation that led their 18-year-old son to live with Hudson.
Cheerleader who died aboard Carnival cruise ship cremated, death certificate reveals
New information:
- Florida death certificate confirms Anna Kepner has been cremated.
- Public version of the death certificate omits cause and manner of death per Florida law; Miami-Dade Medical Examiner declined comment citing the ongoing investigation.
- FBI Miami did not provide new comment and continues to handle the case.
Teen found dead on Carnival cruise ship died from mechanical asphyxiation, ruled homicide: report
New information:
- Death certificate indicates Anna Kepner’s death was a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation, per ABC News’ report of a family-provided copy.
- Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office declined comment citing the ongoing investigation.
- Death certificate lists time of death at 11:17 a.m. on Nov. 7, with the fatal injury occurring on Nov. 6.
- FBI remains the lead investigator; no suspects publicly named and no charges filed, though court filings in a custody dispute identified the 16-year-old stepbrother as a potential suspect.
Cheerleader's cruise ship death has family pointing fingers
New information:
- Grandparents say the FBI told them investigators suspect asphyxiation as the cause in Anna Kepner’s death (official cause/manner not yet released).
- Court filings in a custody dispute identify the 16-year-old stepbrother as a 'suspect.'
- Ex-boyfriend recounts a 3 a.m. FaceTime incident earlier this year in which he says the stepbrother climbed on top of Anna after she fell asleep; he says he yelled and the stepbrother fled.
- Family members say Anna and the stepbrother shared a room on the cruise; grandmother says he was the only person seen 'coming and going' from the room based on surveillance.
- Grandmother says the stepbrother stated he doesn’t remember what happened and was 'an emotional mess' after Anna’s death.
- Authorities have recovered surveillance and key-card records; no arrests or charges as of Monday morning.
Anna Kepner dies mysteriously during family vacation on Carnival cruise ship: Timeline of events
New information:
- Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner listed time of death as 11:17 a.m. on Nov. 7.
- A Carnival housekeeping worker discovered the body; Kepner was found under the bed wrapped in a blanket and covered with life jackets.
- The night before, Kepner reportedly felt unwell and left dinner early (per Daily Mail attribution).
- Nov. 17 custody filings in a separate case describe the 16-year-old stepbrother as a potential suspect.
- The stepmother’s attorney asked to postpone a hearing, arguing testimony could incriminate her or her son.
- Timeline details: family boarded Carnival Horizon in Miami on Nov. 2; FBI questioned family after the Nov. 8 return; no arrests or charges filed to date.
Stepbrother eyed in teen's cruise ship death may be called to testify, attorney says
New information:
- Brevard County Judge Michelle Studstill set an in-person hearing for Dec. 5 to address whether the 16-year-old stepbrother will testify.
- The judge noted the minor could invoke the Fifth Amendment and said a hearing must occur before any testimony.
- The 16-year-old was hospitalized upon returning to Port Miami on Nov. 8 and is currently staying with a relative on Florida’s west coast.
- Attorneys said they may subpoena an FBI investigator, Florida DCF investigators, and Anna Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner.
- Thomas Hudson’s attorney, Scott Smith, said he may call the 16-year-old to testify despite concerns about self-incrimination.
Cruise ship death: Cheerleader’s stepmom could be forced to testify against her own son
New information:
- A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that recovered cruise-ship surveillance shows Anna Kepner with a 'suspect' before her death.
- The FBI’s Miami Field Office is identified as leading the investigation.
- Court filings add detail that the 18-year-old brother moved in with his father after an alleged altercation involving the stepmother and the victim’s father, and that the ex-husband accuses the stepmother of alienating the younger children.
Stepmother in cruise ship death mystery fears child could be incriminated: court docs
New information:
- Stepmother Shauntel (Hudson) Kepner filed an emergency motion in Brevard County to postpone a December hearing, citing Fifth Amendment/self‑incrimination concerns for herself or a minor child amid the FBI probe.
- Ex-husband Thomas Hudson’s filing alleges their 16-year-old son is now a suspect in the death; he was released from custody and is staying with a third party.
- Hudson also claims the couple’s eldest (18) moved in with him after an alleged altercation involving Shauntel and her new husband.
- A law enforcement source says ship surveillance shows Anna with a 'suspect,' and the FBI is reviewing hours of additional footage.
FBI probing stepsibling in teen's cruise ship death, filing suggests
New information:
- Victim identified as 18-year-old Anna Kepner, a Florida high school cheerleader.
- Emergency motion in stepmother Shauntel Hudson’s divorce case states the FBI told her 'a criminal case may be initiated' against one of her minor children (a stepsibling).
- Housekeeper reportedly found Kepner’s body under the bed in her stateroom.
- Investigators are reviewing ship surveillance video, electronic swipe-card access logs to the cabin, and Kepner’s cellphone records.
- FBI jurisdiction confirmed due to the victim being a U.S. citizen and the death occurring in international waters; Miami FBI working with Carnival security.