Shauntel Hudson, stepmother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, says she will invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify at a custody hearing pending an active investigation. An emergency motion by ex-husband Thomas Hudson alleges a 16-year-old step-sibling is considered a suspect in Kepner’s death aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 8. Kepner was found aboard the ship, and the FBI is investigating a death that occurred in international waters. As of Nov. 20, no criminal charges had been announced.
Stepmother Pleads Fifth as Custody Hearing Paused Amid Investigation into 18-Year-Old’s Death on Cruise
Shauntel Hudson, stepmother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, says she will invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify at a custody hearing pending an active investigation. An emergency motion by ex-husband Thomas Hudson alleges a 16-year-old step-sibling is considered a suspect in Kepner’s death aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 8. Kepner was found aboard the ship, and the FBI is investigating a death that occurred in international waters. As of Nov. 20, no criminal charges had been announced.
03:24 AM, 11/21/2025Conflict
Shauntel Hudson, the stepmother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, has said she will invoke her Fifth Amendment right and decline to testify at a separate divorce and custody hearing while an investigation into Kepner’s death remains active.
The statement came in response to an emergency motion filed by her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, in Brevard County, Florida. In that filing, Thomas Hudson wrote that one of the couple’s children—a 16-year-old step-sibling of Kepner—is being treated as a suspect in the teenager’s death aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 8.
The filing states: "The sixteen year old child is now a suspect in the death of the step child during the cruise."
According to court documents, Shauntel Hudson asked the court to postpone a scheduled hearing because the criminal investigation is ongoing. She acknowledged the possibility that "a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children" and said any testimony she provided could be "prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation."
Investigators reported that Kepner's body was discovered aboard the Carnival Horizon; she had been traveling with her father, stepmother and three step-siblings. Family members say the night before she disappeared she told them she was not feeling well and went to her cabin.
The FBI has opened an investigation into Kepner’s death, which occurred in international waters. As of Nov. 20, authorities had not publicly filed criminal charges in connection with the case. The assertions in the custody filing add legal complexity to both the family court proceedings and the federal inquiry.
What to watch next
- Whether the court delays the custody hearing while investigators continue their work.
- If and when formal charges are filed related to Kepner’s death.
- How the custody dispute proceeds once investigators and prosecutors determine the scope of any criminal case.
The situation remains under investigation and the court record may evolve as more information becomes available.